Taliban breaking promises, including over women, says UN

09/13/2021

Geneva, Sept. 13: Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have contradicted public promises on rights, including by ordering women to stay at home, blocking teenage girls from school and holding house-to-house searches for former foes, a United Nations official said on Monday.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said Afghanistan was in a “new and perilous phase” since the militant Islamist group seized power last month, with many women and members of ethnic and religious communities deeply worried.

“In contradiction to assurances that the Taliban would uphold women’s rights, over the past three weeks, women have instead been progressively excluded from the public sphere,” she told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Bachelet expressed dismay at the composition of the Taliban government, noting the absence of women and its dominance by ethnic Pashtun.

Reprisal killings reported

In some places, girls over 12 were barred from school while women were told to stay at home, she said, in throwbacks to the Taliban’s oppressive rule between 1996-2001 prior to a US-led invasion that toppled them.

Bachelet pointed to other broken pledges on granting amnesty to former civil servants and security officers linked to the previous government and prohibiting house-to-house searches.

The United Nations has received multiple allegations of searches for those who worked with US companies and security forces while some UN staff have reported increasing attacks and threats, she added.

Credible allegations of reprisal killings of some former Afghan military members have also been received, she said.

Bachelet called for a mechanism to monitor rights in Afghanistan. “I reiterate my appeal to this Council to take bold and vigorous action, commensurate with the gravity of this crisis,” she said.-Reuters

Related News

China, Pakistan and Russia trying to figure out what to do with Taliban, says Biden

Washington, Sept. 8: China, Pakistan, Russia and Iran are trying to figure out what do they do now with the Taliban, US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday. Hours after the Taliban announced the details of its interim government, Biden told reporters that China had a "real problem" with the…

Indo-Canadian lawmaker condemns killing of Indian youth, says fight to eradicate racism must continue

Toronto, Sept. 9: An Indo-Canadian lawmaker on Thursday condemned the murder of an Indian youth in Canada’s Nova Scotia province, saying hate, violence and racism have no place in the country and the fight to eradicate these menaces must continue. Prabhjot Singh Katri, 23, was found murdered at an apartment…

Interim Taliban govt does not reflect what international community hoped to see: US

Washington, Sept. 10: The interim Taliban government does not reflect what the international community and the United States hoped to see, the Biden Administration said on Thursday. "We have spoken about our reaction to the initial caretaker government. You have heard us say that the lack of inclusivity, the track…

India, Australia emphasise on importance of combating terrorism without compromise

New Delhi, Sept. 11: In a high-level foreign and defence ministerial dialogue, India and Australia on Saturday set out an ambitious framework for defence with Afghanistan as a major subject of discussion. During the inaugural ‘two-plus-two’ talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and their…

Afghan musicians flee Kabul, fearing for their lives and dire future for art under Taliban rule

Peshawar, Sept. 12: Ashraf Gulzar, an Afghan singer, mentioned the Taliban have banned all music programmes in Kabul which is a matter of concern for the individuals related to the music trade. The scheduled music occasions organized with Pakistani artists in Kabul, Jalalabad, and different large cities of Afghanistan have…

US, Japan and South Korea meet after North Korea missile test

Tokyo, Sept. 14: Senior envoys from Japan, the US and South Korea have held talks in Tokyo that focused on North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs. The three diplomats agreed that “dialogue was urgent to accomplish the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.” according to South Korea’s foreign ministry. Close…

Video

Find Us on Facebook

From Social

Tehran, June 21: As India presses ahead with Operation Sindhu to evacuate its citizens from Iran amid intensifying hostilities in the Middle East, the Indian Embassy in Tehran has announced that, upon formal requests from the governments of Nepal and Sri…

India to evacuate Nepalese, Sri Lankan nationals from Iran amid escalating tensions    

Kathmandu, Nov. 24: The joint training exercise "SURYA KIRAN-XVII" of Nepali Army and Indian Army is starting from 24 November 2023 in Pithoragarh, India. The Nepalese army team that will participate in the exercise, which will be attended by the…

Nepal-India Joint Military Training Excerise Surya Kiran Begin Today    

New Delhi, May 5: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the guest of honour for this year’s Bastille Day Parade in Paris scheduled to take place on July 14.  In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of…

Indian PM Modi to attend Bastille Day Parade in Paris as guest of honour on July 14