Outwardly, the radical Islamist Taliban are moderate – but now there are increasing reports of serious human rights violations in Afghanistan. Among them are mass executions of civilians and relatives of pro-government security forces, said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet.
The situation of women has also deteriorated dramatically. The freedom of movement of women has been restricted in some regions, and some girls are no longer allowed to go to school, said Bachelet. Peaceful protests are suppressed and minors are brought to armed forces.
The UN High Commissioner stressed that the reports were credible. “There are grave risks for women, journalists and the new generation of leading figures in civil society who have emerged in recent years,” said Bachelet. “Afghanistan’s diverse ethnic and religious minorities are also at risk of violence and repression,” she warned.
The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has also received reports of “professional shootings” by the Taliban. The alleged victims are former Afghan government officials and security forces, said Vice Director for HRW in Asia, Patricia Gossman. Many of these incidents are said to have taken place outside the capital, Kabul, in the Afghan provinces.
Meanwhile, the radical Islamist Taliban fighters consolidated their power in Afghanistan. Yesterday they captured three more districts in the north of the country that were still under the control of local militias. In addition, they began with the formation of a new government and the naming of the first ministerial names. The Taliban hope that this will quickly gain international recognition and, above all, access to international aid funds.
EU quadruples aid money
The European Union, which is already terrified of a new mass exodus from Afghanistan, now wants to quadruple its aid funds for Afghan citizens to more than 200 million euros, as announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. However, respect for human rights and in particular the rights of women are made a condition for the payment.
A race against time
It’s a race against time. Thousands of Westerners and volunteers are still waiting to be escorted to safety in Afghanistan. But it hardly seems possible anymore to fly them all out of the country. The heads of state and government of the G7 looked for a solution at an online summit yesterday. US President Joe Biden once again emphasized that he would hold on to the Afghanistan withdrawal until August 31. However, the G7 appealed to the Taliban to guarantee safe exit afterwards.
Most EU states, however, have shown themselves ready to accept refugees, even if, unlike London, they have not yet promised fixed quotas. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had advocated bringing human rights activists and journalists to safety in addition to local staff – but Slovenia, Austria and Hungary refused.
