Mujahid disputes UNAMA report on human rights

KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has released a report expressing concern over human rights violations in the country.

The report from May to June 2023 said the rights of women and girls remain severely constrained under the new rulers.

The report said the Ministry of Public Health recently announced that only male medical students would be allowed to pursue further specialized medical studies, excluding female students from these opportunities.

“This follows previous bans preventing women from participating in medical school exit examinations and attending university,” the report said.

The report documented instances where limitations were enforced on women’s freedom of movement and employment.

For instance, two Afghan female staff members of an international non-governmental organization (INGO) were arrested at an airport for traveling without a mahram (male companion) on May 1.

In another case, on June 3, a midwife was detained and interrogated for five hours, with threats of death if she continued her work with an INGO. She resigned two days later due to the intimidation, the report says.

There have been reports of physical violence and intimidation against women, the report says.

The report also highlights the impact of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on civilians.

Despite a reduction in overall civilian casualties, UNAMA has recorded significant levels of harm caused by indiscriminate IED attacks.

The majority of civilian casualties were attributed to Daesh’s Khorasan branch. Victims of these attacks face challenges in accessing essential support due to the ongoing financial and economic crisis, says the report.

UNAMA has also recorded arbitrary arrests, detentions, and ill-treatment of journalists, as well as restrictions on beauty salons and activities carried out by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

The UNAMA report calls for urgent attention to these issues and emphasizes the importance of upholding human rights and promoting a safe and inclusive environment for all Afghanistan citizens.

However, Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called the UNAMA report as false, saying it did not reflect facts about the situation in Afghanistan.

He said UNAMA was either quoting those who had fled the country and were giving wrong information or it itself was spreading propaganda against Afghanistan.

He said no civilian casualties had taken place and no holy places had been attacked during the period. He also rejected extrajudicial killings.

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