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Blinken urges world to press IEA to respect Afghans’ rights
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday called on the international community to press the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to respect the rights of all Afghans.
Addressing the 49th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Blinken also called for redoubling efforts to address the “growing” humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
“We must redouble our efforts to address the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and press the Taliban (IEA) to respect the rights of all Afghans, including by stopping the unjust detentions of women protestors and journalists, ending reprisals, and allowing all Afghans to be educated and work in every sector,” Blinken said.
Respect for the fundamental rights of citizens and the protection of Afghan women’s political and civil rights is a condition by the international community for recognition of the current government in Afghanistan.
IEA, however, says it is committed to ensuring the rights of all Afghans.
“Major problems will not arise with a government that is committed to people’s rights and welfare,” said Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman for IEA.
Meanwhile, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Tom West has said that it has been a collective international effort to press IEA to allow aid workers access across the country, and the dialogue with it in this regard has been fruitful.
Speaking to US broadcaster NPR, West said that private sector actors in Europe have shipped several hundred million dollars physically to Afghanistan.
“So far the Taliban has not sought to intervene in or seize any of those shipments,” West said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced on Tuesday the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle from prison.
According to the ministry, Coyle’s mother had written to the leader of the Islamic Emirate demanding amnesty and the release of her son on the occasion of Eid. The Supreme Court considered time served sufficient and decided to release him.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this action was carried out on the basis of humanitarianism and good faith, and it believes that such measures can strengthen trust between countries. The ministry also expressed hope that both countries, in the future, can find solutions to remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue.
The Islamic Emirate also expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in this matter.
Separately, for Coyle’s release, an American delegation, including Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate.
The meeting was also attended by Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, Ambassador of the UAE in Kabul, and a member of the prisoner’s family.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi stated that the Islamic Emirate has not detained any citizen of any country to achieve political objectives; rather, detentions were the result of legal violations, and individuals were released after completing judicial procedures.
At the meeting, Khalilzad praised the action of the Islamic Emirate and emphasized the importance of continuing discussions on all issues between the two countries, expressing hope for further progress in the future.
Muttaqi also stressed that Kabul and the UAE should provide standard consular services to their citizens, and that the Afghan government is fully prepared in this regard.
He thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for their constructive role in facilitating the release of the prisoner and referred to the UAE as a close friend of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Muttaqi had also praised the role of the State of Qatar in facilitating information exchange between the Islamic Emirate and the prisoner’s family.
Additionally, the UAE ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to play a role in humanitarian institutions and called such developments beneficial for everyone.
The United Kingdom has announced an additional £3 million (AFN 257 million) in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, aimed at supporting people affected by natural disasters and other shocks.
Richard Lindsay, in a post on X, said the funding will be used to provide essential nutrition supplies and related support to vulnerable populations.
The new allocation brings the UK’s total bilateral assistance to Afghanistan for the current financial year to £154 million (AFN 13.18 billion).
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