Taliban Should Reconsider Approach Towards People of Afghanistan, Says Iranian Cleric

The "Polio Free Afghanistan" organisation has urged people to vaccinate their children.

The organisation did not specify in which areas the new phase of vaccinations will take place or how long it will last.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.

Recently, the Taliban governor's office in Kandahar announced that seven cases of polio had been recorded in southern Afghanistan in the first six months of 2024.

Additionally, according to reports, 12 cases of polio have been recorded in Pakistan in the first seven months of this year.

On Saturday, this office wrote on the X social media platform that these individuals are employees of nine ministries and the civil service administration, and have been sent to China for professional training.

The office did not specify which ministries these individuals belong to, or the duration of the training programme.

China, like other countries, does not recognise the Taliban, but maintains diplomatic and economic relations with the group.

In June, a 14-day training programme was also held in China for 22 employees of the Taliban's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum.

China holds the rights to extract copper from the Aynak mine in Afghanistan for 30 years.

The experts urged sports organisations to take action against the Taliban's ban on women's participation in sports, describing the Taliban's restrictions as an unacceptable violation of women's rights, with no parallel in any other country.

In a statement issued on Friday, UN experts, including Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan, condemned the Taliban's actions against women and girls in sports, labelling them as part of the group's discriminatory and oppressive policies against women, which may constitute crimes against humanity.

For nearly three years, women and girls in Afghanistan under Taliban control have been deprived of many of their rights, from the right to work and education to participating in sports, visiting parks, and travelling without a male guardian.

In this year's Olympic Games in Paris, three female and three male athletes represented Afghanistan, but the Taliban stated that they do not recognise the participation of Afghan women athletes at the Olympics.

The UN experts stressed that the severe deprivation of Afghan women and girls of their rights and dignity, including in sports, must end. They asserted that culture should not be used as an excuse for violating human rights, including cultural rights such as the right to participate in sports.

The UN experts emphasised that international sports organisations have a responsibility to oppose the Taliban's repressive policies and to support Afghan women athletes globally. While they welcomed the IOC's support for Afghan women athletes' participation in the Olympics, they stressed that more support is needed.
The experts also urged international sports organisations to avoid any actions that could be perceived as complicity with the Taliban's discriminatory and unlawful policies.

Mousavi stressed that, like Iranian citizens, foreign nationals in Iran are also expected to adhere to the country’s laws and regulations.

In a post on the X social media platform, Mousavi wrote that xenophobia is not supported by any official or institution in Iran, as it goes against the "Islamic tradition of brotherhood and the culture of hospitality”.

His comments appear to be in response to the widespread backlash following reports of an Afghan teenager being tortured by the Iranian police. Mousavi is the first official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address these criticisms. However, he did not provide details on why the police used force against the Afghan teenager.

Furthermore, Mousavi did not clarify the charges against the Afghan teenager or whether the police officer involved in the violent incident would face legal consequences.

The recent release of a video showing the torture of 16-year-old Afghan migrant Sayed Mahdi by police in Damavand County has sparked widespread outrage. In the video, one Iranian police officer is seen restraining Mahdi’s arms and legs while another officer presses his knee on the teenager's neck. Mahdi’s mother can be heard pleading with the officers to release her son.

On Thursday, Mahdi’s family released a video calling for an investigation into the mistreatment of their son by Iranian police.

He emphasised that no individual is beyond the reach of Iran’s extensive surveillance network.

On Friday, August 9, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) quoted Fakhari as saying, "Even if someone enters the country through gaps in the system, they will not evade our control and surveillance network. The authorities are precisely observing the behaviour and actions of foreign nationals with full vigilance."

Fakhari’s remarks come amid a recent escalation in pressure on Afghan migrants in Iran. In recent days, widespread criticism has emerged following reports of violent behaviour by Iranian police officers in the village of Absard, Damavand County, Tehran, towards Mahdi Mousavi, an Afghan migrant. Sources told Afghanistan International that Mousavi sustained a neck injury due to a police officer's use of excessive force.

Additionally, two days ago, Ahmad Reza Radan, the Chief of Iran’s Law Enforcement Force, announced that undocumented foreign nationals must leave Iran and return to their home countries by the end of this year, describing the deportation as a strategic policy of the Islamic Republic.

On the same day, Alireza Fatehinejad, the Governor of Shahriar County in Tehran, announced the commencement of operations to collect illegal migrants in the county.

During a meeting with Iranian officials, he emphasised that undocumented Afghan migrants would be deported as part of this initiative.