Tehran- IRAF- at the recent Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, Australia’s representative, speaking on behalf of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, presented a statement declaring that the Taliban’s new regulations, including the group’s criminal code for its courts, constitute a clear violation of Afghanistan’s international obligations.
According to these three countries, by adopting these regulations, the Taliban have not only undermined due process but have also normalized domestic violence and intensified structural discrimination against women and minorities.
Australia’s representative at the session emphasized that the Taliban’s systematic campaign to remove women and girls from public life is one of the most alarming aspects of the human rights crisis in Afghanistan.
He stated: “We deeply regret the Taliban’s persistent efforts to eliminate women and girls from public life and to deprive them of their fundamental rights and freedoms.”
The official also warned that the continuation of these policies would seriously weaken regional peace and stability and undermine the prospects for Afghanistan’s reengagement with the international community.
New report by Richard Bennett: Afghanistan under pressure from multiple simultaneous crises
At the same session, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, presented a broader picture of the country’s critical situation.
He stated that the people of Afghanistan are facing a series of simultaneous shocks, including:
– economic contraction amid population growth
– a sharp decline in international aid
– the consequences of climate change, including repeated droughts and devastating earthquakes
– the forced deportation of more than 2.7 million Afghan migrants from neighboring countries over the past year
Bennett stressed that at the center of all these crises lies Taliban rule, which he described as “an extremist administration,” stating that the group has committed “gross human rights violations.” In his view, this constitutes the most significant shock facing Afghanistan.
Special focus on women’s right to health and the collapse of the healthcare system
Bennett’s latest report, presented at the session, specifically focuses on the right to health of Afghan women and girls—a right that, according to him, has been severely restricted as a result of Taliban policies.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is also expected to present a comprehensive report to the council on the overall human rights situation in Afghanistan.
Previously, in a report based on interviews with 137 Afghan citizens from 29 provinces, Bennett had also reported the systematic exclusion of women from managerial and healthcare sectors and the complete collapse of Afghanistan’s healthcare system.
