UNHRC chief says he is ‘deeply concerned about worsening’ situation in Afghanistan

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said at the 53rd meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is worrying and the restrictions on women are increasing day by day.

Türk criticized the caretaker government and said that talks are ongoing with the ruling authorities of Afghanistan about removing these restrictions.

“I am deeply concerned about the worsening human rights situation in Afghanistan, the caretaker government of Afghanistan restricts human rights, especially the rights of women and girls. Now, our discussions with them are going on and our experts and lawyers are still there to deal with this issue,” said Türk.

At Monday’s meeting, the special rapporteur for human rights of the United Nations in Afghanistan Richard Bennett presented his report on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and said that pressure should be put on the Islamic Emirate to remove restrictions on women and to build an inclusive government.

“The education of girls and the activities of women in government offices are very important for the progress of the country and the future of Afghanistan. The caretaker government must adhere to all international obligations and create an inclusive government and respect all the rights of the Afghan people,” said Bennett.

Nasir Ahmad Andisheh, Afghanistan’s representative in Geneva, also said that over the past two decades, Afghan women and girls have made good achievements in the field of education and training as they worked in government and non-government offices and served their people and society.

Simultaneously, the representatives of some countries at the meeting emphasized that the issue of women and girls’ exclusion from work and education should be resolved through international institutions.

However, the Islamic Emirate does not consider holding such meetings without the presence of a representative of IEA to be effective and says that recently, international organizations have started publishing propaganda against the government. 

IEA spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says Afghanistan is an Islamic country and has a traditional society, and the government cannot approve women’s rights according to western culture.

“We do not expect much from these meetings because the representative of the Islamic Emirate is not there to defend and make a fair judgment. Secondly, there is a difference of views. Afghanistan is an Islamic country and women’s rights are protected according to Islamic Sharia law,” said Mujahid. 

Meanwhile, some of the other participants at the meeting emphasized the need for positive interaction with the IEA and said that their attention has swayed from Afghanistan and they are trying to solve the people’s problems, especially economic problems.