On the first day of the fifty-fourth session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Afghanistan was the main topic of discussion. Farzana Abbasi, a human rights researcher focusing on Afghanistan, said during this session that some of the actions by the Taliban administration in Afghanistan against women are considered examples of crimes against humanity.
Ms Abbasi emphasized in her statement that women have been systematically removed from public spaces over the past two years, losing their fundamental freedoms. She further pointed out that human rights observers have found evidence of female rights activists arbitrarily detained and tortured by the Taliban regime.
The human rights watchdog’s statement also asserts, “The Taliban, for the past two years, have systematically violated the rights of women and girls, including severe restrictions on their freedom of movement, education, and employment, essentially excluding them from public life. Women’s rights activists have been arbitrarily detained and tortured, with some of these abuses amounting to crimes against humanity and sexual violence.”
Richard Benett, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, presented his latest report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan at the session.
He highlighted that despite some Afghan women resorting to hunger strikes, the current authorities in Afghanistan continue their “brutal repression” against Afghan girls and women.
Mr. Benett called on the de facto authorities to cease human rights violations, particularly the blatant violation of women’s rights in Afghanistan. He said, “Some Afghan women have gone on hunger strikes in Europe. This underscores the urgent need to address gender apartheid in Afghanistan.”
It is worth noting that Tamana Zaryab Paryany, a former detainee of the Taliban administration and the initiator of these hunger strikes, has entered her twelfth day of fasting, with several other human rights activists supporting her cause. This protest has gained momentum in several countries, including Germany, Norway, Pakistan, Sweden, and women’s rights activists.
Tamana Paryany is demanding that the German government, international human rights organizations, and the global community officially recognize gender apartheid in Afghanistan and refrain from any engagement with the Taliban regime. She lost consciousness on the ninth day of her hunger strike and was transported to a hospital.
Ms. Paryany, in an interview with Khaama Press News Agency on her fourth day of the hunger strike, expressed frustration that the world has been unsuccessful in defending Afghan women’s rights. While women continue to fight for their freedoms and become victims, the world has chosen to engage with the Taliban government.
In a parallel effort, Hoda Khamosh and Mina Rafiq, two women activists on hunger strikes for seven days, are urging the international community to recognize gender apartheid in Afghanistan and bring its perpetrators to the International Court.
Parwana Ebrahimkhel, a former detainee of the Taliban administration, called on the United Nations in Geneva yesterday to take practical actions against the interim government. This comes despite the Taliban labelling its imposed rules on women as Islamic Sharia and not having rescinded any restrictive policies or orders in the past two years, despite global condemnation for their oppressive nature.
