Some Afghan women who work for the United Nations have been detained, harassed and restricted from moving since the Taliban stopped them from working for the world body, the UN said Tuesday.
The Afghan Taliban rulers told the UN early last month that Afghans employed by the mission were not allowed to report to work.
This is the latest in a series of discriminatory, and illegal measuresapplied by the de facto authorities with the goal of severely restricting the participation of women and girls in most spheres of public and daily life in Afghanistan”, said the UN in a report on the situation of human rights in the country.
The Taliban authorities have continued to crack down on dissenting voices this year, especially those speaking out on issues related to women’s and girls’ rights, the report added.
The UN report cited the arrest in March of four women, who were released a day later, after a protest demanding access to education and the labor market in the capital, Kabul, as well as that of Matiullah Wesa, director of PenPath, a civil society organization that advocates for the reopening of girls’ schools.
In addition, he highlighted the arrest of Parisa Mobariz, a women’s rights activist, and her brother in February in Takhar, a province in the north of the country.
Several civil society activists have been released, reportedly without charge, after long periods of arbitrary detention by Taliban intelligence services, the report added.
These measures will have disastrous effects on the country’s prospects for prosperity, stability and peace.indicated the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, in its document.
“UNAMA is concerned about the increasing restrictions on civic space in Afghanistansaid Fiona Frazer, the agency’s head of human rights.
The Taliban had banned girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade and restricted women’s participation in the labor market and public life. In December, they were prohibited from working in local and non-governmental organizations, a measure that did not apply to UN offices at the time.
The report also mentioned the extrajudicial killings of people affiliated with the former government. On March 5 in Kandahar, in the south of the country, Taliban forces detained a former police officer at his home and shot him dead, according to the document. That same month, in Balkh in the north, a former military official was killed by unknown gunmen at his home, he added.
“Throughout February, March and April there were also Arbitrary arrests and imprisonments of former government officials and members of the Afghan National Security and Defense Forcesthe note said.
In an independent report released Monday, the UN strongly criticized the Taliban for carrying out public stoning and whipping executions since they took power and called on the rulers to end these practices.
In the last six months alone, 274 men, 58 women and two children were publicly caned in the country.the report added.
The Taliban Foreign Ministry responded by stating that Afghan laws are determined in accordance with Islamic rules and precepts, and that the vast majority of citizens abide by them.
The Taliban began handing out such punishments shortly after coming to power nearly two years ago, despite initial promises of a more moderate rule than their previous tenure in the 1990s.
The main Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahidcondemned on Twitter Monday’s UN report on executions and punishments and He dismissed the institution’s concerns as unfounded, adding that the group follows Islamic law, or sharia, which it said has strengthened the judicial system.
The Taliban immediately commented on the report about the treatment of Afghan women working for the UN and other rights violations.
(with information from AP)
Keep reading:
Taliban kill ISIS leader who masterminded Kabul airport bombing during evacuation from Afghanistan
The appalling tales of Afghans tortured by the Taliban: ‘I screamed so loud I fainted’
The Taliban detained the founder of an all-girls school in Afghanistan
Source-www.infobae.com