CIVICUS: Civil society freedom curtailed in Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): CIVICUS, a global alliance dedicated to strengthening citizen action throughout the world, has claimed that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repressed civil society and right activists.

In a statement, CIVICUS claimed the IEA targeted, repressed, interrogated and ill-treated civil society and rights activists in Afghanistan.

The allegations follow repeatedly assurances by the acting Afghan government that is committed to upholding human and social rights of women and girls in the framework of Islamic Sharia Law.

The caretaker government often says that all people in Afghanistan enjoy their legitimate rights and there is no single political prisoner in the country.

The government has also made it clear that it is not against women education or work and has been working to create a suitable environment for women and girls go to schools.

CIVICUS report stated that on 15 August 2021, the IEA came to power in Afghanistan and unleashed a systematic assault on civic space.

After the fall of the previous government and the IEA takeover, civil society organizations were targeted for their work, their offices were raided and their bank accounts were frozen, CIVICUS said in its report.

It also said the IEA repressed protests, especially women’s right activists, disrupting their demonstrations and ill-treated them.

Journalists face increased risks following the Taliban takeover with scores arrested, detained, tortured or ill-treated, or attacked for covering the situation on the ground.

The IEA also shut down key institutions including the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), the report added

The international community took some steps in response to the situation in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the takeover by the IEA.

It   appointed a Special Rapporteur to monitor the status of human rights in Afghanistan in October 2021 and in December 2021, the UN General Assembly, indefinitely postponed international recognition of the acting government.

However, these efforts failed to halt the repression of fundamental freedoms and two years on, violations have escalated leading to the downgrade of Afghanistan’s civic space ratings by the CIVICUS Monitor from ‘repressed’ to ‘closed’ in March 2023

pr/nh/sa/ma