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IEA accuses international watchdogs of ‘reporting on rumors’
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that reports by human rights monitoring organizations and missions are “contrary to internationally accepted fact-finding methodologies”.
According to a statement issued by the IEA, “some people report based on rumors and virtual sources (social networks and e-mail addresses) and use it against the ruling system, contrary to legal and scientific methods of truth-finding”.
The IEA stated it has provided all the necessary facilities for impartial investigation and obtaining facts by the offices and persons assigned under the framework of the United Nations to investigate the human rights situation in Afghanistan, and all offices of the Islamic Emirate, including the security department, cooperate with them.
“Therefore, morally, the aforementioned departments should not misuse this positive spirit,” read the statement.
The statement also noted that this “not only destroys people’s trust in their reports, but also questions the impartiality and credibility of their respective institutions”.
In addition, the IEA stated that countries and international organizations “should not allow such people to abuse the name of countries and international organizations to deal with personal problems and political agendas and destroy the spirit of cooperation of officials in line with humanitarian activities”.
The IEA claims there has been “been significant positive changes in the human rights situation compared to the past twenty years,” and that any claim to the contrary will be investigated transparently and justice will prevail.
This comes just days after Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, issued a statement following a 12-day visit to the country and stated that Afghanistan continues to experience a serious crisis and urgent action is needed from all parties to avert a further deterioration of the situation.
According to Bennett, stakeholders he met with expressed grave concerns about the situation of women and girls, increased attacks on places of worship, schools, transportation systems and minority communities, especially Hazara-Shia.
He said the humanitarian situation remains dire and the security situation is fragile.
“I offered the authorities my advice to fulfill their human rights obligations under the international human rights treaties ratified by Afghanistan. The authorities affirmed their commitment to adhere to their international human rights obligations if they were not in conflict with Sharia,” Bennett 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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