Latest News
Amnesty International urges Afghan gov’t prioritize release of women prisoners
The Amnesty International Friday urged the Afghan government to take immediate steps to implement President Ghani’s decree to release prisoners to control the spread of COVID-19.
The organization called on the authorities to prioritize women prisoners.
It said as the number of cases in Afghanistan rises, there are fears that prisoners in overcrowded detention facilities, often where up to five people are squeezed into a single cell in unsanitary conditions and without access to adequate health facilities, are at high risk of infection.
“Ten days have passed since Afghanistan’s President ordered the release of prisoners and nothing has happened. Every day, the risk to them rises. At particular risk are women prisoners, many of whom have children with them. There is ongoing discrimination against women and girls in general in Afghanistan,” said Biraj Patnaik, South Asia Director at Amnesty International.
He noted that this discrimination beside many other challenges makes women least important, emphasizing, “The government must take immediate measures for the release of these women and for them to be safely relocated to limit the risk to them,”
Afghan civil society groups have raised concerns about the conditions of women prisoners. In an open letter to President Ashraf Ghani this week, the Afghan Women’s Network pointed out that many women prisoners at risk have not committed serious crimes or are yet to be convicted. Many of them are also mothers, with their children in custody with them. Like elsewhere in South Asia, Afghanistan’s prisons are overpopulated.
Afghanistan faces particular challenges in dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak given the continuing conflict in the country, poor health infrastructure with just 300 ventilators, a shortage of doctors and other trained health workers, and a lack of testing facilities.
With a lockdown imposed in parts of the country, including Kabul, daily wage earners, internally displaced people and other marginalized are also at high risk – faced with the cruel choice between infection and starvation, in a country where the government is dependent on international assistance for three-quarters of its national budget.
The western province of Herat is the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis, followed by Kabul, the capital. Both Herat and Kabul are where the majority of women prisoners are located.
To date 521 cases have been reported across the country, affecting 27 out of 34 provinces, and resulting in at least 15 deaths.
Afghanistan does not have the resources it needs to deal with this crisis. This makes it more important that the government takes whatever steps it can to limit the spread of the virus, starting with groups who are most at risks such as prisoners including women and marginalized.
“It’s also crucial that the international community steps in to bolster the Afghan government’s efforts. Few countries have suffered as much as Afghanistan in recent years. The people of Afghanistan must not be abandoned at this crucial moment when they urgently need the world’s attention,” Biraj Patnaik said.
A high-level government–private sector delegation from Uzbekistan, led by Shukhrat Abdullazakov, Governor of Namangan province, arrived in Kabul to enhance trade between the two countries and promote investment in Afghanistan.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Industry, the delegation, which includes deputy governors and more than 30 of Uzbekistan’s top businesspeople and investors, will meet with officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and participate in conferences and trade meetings.
The delegation will also travel to Balkh, meet with local officials, and hold business meetings with members of the private sector.
Additionally, the delegation will inaugurate an exhibition of Uzbek products and goods in Mazar-i-Sharif.
This visit follows the trip of Erkinjon Turdimov, Governor of Uzbekistan’s Syrdarya Province, and his accompanying delegation, and is based on meetings between Nuruddin Azizi, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Islamic Emirate, and senior Uzbek officials.
Other governors from Uzbekistan are also expected to visit Afghanistan to further expand bilateral trade and economic relations.
The Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment announced on Saturday that national traders, jointly through the chamber, have provided approximately 15 million AFN in aid to the people of Iran.
The chamber stated that this aid package was delivered to the Iranian Consulate in Herat. It added that the assistance was intended to express solidarity with families affected by the war.
Mohammad Younes Qazizadeh, head of the Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said: “Today we have presented 15 million AFN to the dear people of Iran through the Herat provincial authorities and the Iranian Consulate, and this aid will continue.”
Meanwhile, officials at the Iranian Consulate in Herat emphasized that Afghanistan and Iran always stand together and fully understand each other’s difficulties.
The Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment also highlighted that the people of Iran have consistently supported the people of Afghanistan during various crises, and their cooperation in different sectors has reached families affected in the country.
Officials of the Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment stressed that the process of private-sector humanitarian aid to the affected people of Iran will continue.
Following attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, many people in the country have been affected and harmed.
Local officials in Badghis have reported that heavy rainfall from midnight until Saturday morning claimed the lives of five people in the province.
According to officials, three people died in Qadis district, while two others, including a three-year-old child, lost their lives in Dara-e-Bum district.
The Badghis Department for Disaster Management stated that the floods not only caused fatalities but also inflicted significant financial losses on local residents and destroyed agricultural land.
However, complete information on the extent of damage and casualties is not yet available. Staff from various government departments have been dispatched to affected areas to conduct preliminary surveys.
Meanwhile, heavy rains and floods in western Afghanistan temporarily blocked the Herat–Kandahar Highway.
According to Mohammad Israil Sayar, head of the Disaster Management Department in Farah province, recent rainfall has caused the Farah River to swell significantly. He added that the situation has now returned to normal, and traffic along the highway has resumed.
Tahawol: Concerns over spread of Middle East crisis discussed
Saar: Weakening relations between Kabul and Washington discussed
High-level Uzbek delegation arrives in Kabul to boost bilateral trade
Herat Chamber of Commerce donates 15 million AFN to the people of Iran
Severe floods in Badghis leave five dead
Pakistani military jet downed in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad, pilot captured alive
Afghan Air Force conducts airstrikes in Islamabad, other cities
Prominent Muslim scholar issues fatwa calling for Afghanistan-Pakistan ceasefire
Afghan air force strikes key Pakistani military installations in retaliatory operation
IEA: Special circle in Pakistan has launched mission to destabilize region
Tahawol: Concerns over spread of Middle East crisis discussed
Saar: Weakening relations between Kabul and Washington discussed
Exclusive interview with Indrika Ratwatte, Deputy UN Special Representative for Afghanistan
Tawsia: Efforts to boost Afghanistan’s domestic production and economic diplomacy
Tahawol: Discussion on day 27 of Iran–US war
-
Latest News3 days agoTajikistan shifts stance on Afghanistan amid rising border tensions
-
Latest News5 days agoAround 2.3 million tourists visited Afghanistan’s recreational areas during Eid: Ghufran
-
Sport5 days agoAfghanistan squad hit by withdrawals ahead of AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers
-
Latest News5 days agoIslamic Emirate releases American prisoner Dennis Coyle
-
Latest News4 days agoTwo civilians killed, eight injured in fresh shelling by Pakistan in Kunar
-
Latest News2 days agoRussia deems US military presence in Afghanistan unacceptable
-
Regional5 days agoUS allies in Middle East ‘edging closer’ to joining conflict
-
Latest News2 days agoIEA says Iranian drivers no longer need visas to enter Afghanistan