UNAMA releases human rights report on Afghanistan

By
Sabrina Sohail
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UNAMA Releases Report on Afghanistan
Un Releases Report on Human Rights in Afghanistan since the Taliban Takeover

Kabul, 21 July 2022 (TDI): On Thursday, The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released the report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan.

The report covers the timeline from 15 August 2021 to 15 June 2021. It primarily explains the human rights situation in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover.

The report says that the de facto authorities have taken some steps to improve the situation in Afghanistan, but they have also been involved in many human rights violations.

The report discusses four key factors:

Women rights:

One of the key issues is women’s rights violations in Afghanistan. Since the de facto authorities came into power, women’s participation in education, workplaces, and the government has been forcefully reduced.

The government has restricted girls from entering secondary schools or getting higher education. This restricts women from playing their role in the country’s progress and development. Education is a necessity and women not getting educated in Afghanistan will prove to be a great loss for the country.

Extrajudicial killings:

On 17 August 2021, the new government announced an amnesty for former government officials and all concerned parties. However, they did not uphold the amnesty.

UNAMA has recorded the extrajudicial killings of 160 former government and security officials. In addition to this, the report also explained inhuman and degrading punishments with excessive use of force on accused individuals by law enforcement officials. This was specially reported in the domain of “moral crimes” accusations on individuals.

Reservations on two ministries:

The report highlights concerns about two bodies, the de facto Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Amr Bil Maruf) and the de facto General Directorate of Intelligence (Istikhbarat).

The directives issued by the two have limited human rights and freedom. They have been involved in the harsh implementation of policies and severe treatment of people who are deprived of liberty. This includes physical punishments, torture, and killing as well.

Freedom of Expression:

The de facto authorities have many times explained their support for the rights of freedom of expression and opinion. But the UNAMA’s report has documented many violations. Arbitrary arrests, torture, threats, and harassment of media workers and civil society are common.

Recommendations:

The human rights situation has worsened because of the economic and financial crisis. to support Afghanistan, UNAMA’s report has also called for the international community to help.

Also read: UNAMA urges international community to engage Taliban

Additionally, it tells the de facto government to be vigilant and hold its workers accountable for human rights violations.

The Acting Secretary General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Markus Potzel also urged the de facto authorities to do their utmost to address the concerns outlined in UNAMA’s report and meet their international obligations to protect and promote human rights of all Afghans.