US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there has been a “serious erosion of human rights” in Aghanistan since the fall of the former government.
He made the remarks as the 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices was released.
“In Afghanistan, the Taliban’s takeover precipitated a humanitarian crisis, and has resulted in serious erosion of human rights, from arbitrary detentions of women, protesters, and journalists, to reprisals against security forces for the former government, to growing restrictions on where women and girls can study or work,” he said.
But the Islamic Emirate denied claims of the violation of human rights.
This comes as Human Rights Watch also claimed there has been a surge in human rights violations in Afghanistan.
“Human Rights Watch works on the human rights situation in about 100 countries around the world and at the moment we see Afghanistan as a very urgent priority. The human rights situation in Afghanistan is deeply worrying,” said Heather Barr, associate director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch.
“We call on the international community to resolve these problems. We call on the Islamic Emirate to consider the women’s situation, as they make up half of Afghan society,” said Gulalai Akbar, formerly a member of the previous government’s upper house of the Parliament.
However, the Islamic Emirate said that violations of human rights have decreased since it came into power in Afghanistan.
Talking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Blinken said the humanitarian situation is dire in Afghanistan and is likely to get worse as the winter sets in.
He said the US continues to be the largest humanitarian aid provider to Afghanistan. “What I am focused on right now, is the situation in Afghanistan, including the humanitarian situation. We continue to be the largest single provider of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan,” he said.
Addressing the humanitarian situation, Blinken said, the US Treasury Department has issued many general licenses that enables other countries and institutions to send aid to Afghanistan without being exposed to the US sanctions. “We have Issued multiple general licenses to make sure that other countries, institutions, can feel free to move forward with their assistance and not be concerned about the application or implementation of sanctions against them,” he said.
Blinken added that the US is working to find ways to put more liquidity into the Afghan economy. He said the US aid is directed only at the people of Afghanistan and will not benefit the current government.
He also said the US is focused to make sure the Islamic Emirate fulfills its commitments, including safe passage, women’s rights, and counterterrorism.
Blinken’s remarks follow a protest in Kabul on Tuesday in which the protesters called on the US to release Afghanistan’s frozen assets.
“The rights of all Afghans are ensured now. The Islamic Emirate is committed to ensuring the rights of all citizens under an Islamic structure including men and women and any other aspect,” said Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate.
This comes as the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) instructed its citizens against all travel to Afghanistan. “You should not travel to Afghanistan. The security situation in Afghanistan remains extremely volatile,” the FCDO said.—Agencies
