Amnesty Int’l Calls For Release Of Jawed Kohistani, Hekmat Aryan From Taliban Prison

Washington has said that with the end of the term of the US special representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, Karen Decker and US envoy for women and human rights, Rina Amiri, will carry out his duties.

On Thursday, Decker announced that she looks forward to continuing to work with Mark Pommersheim and continue West's effective work to protect US interests.

Earlier, Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State announced that West would step down as the US special representative for Afghanistan and would be appointed as the acting head of the State Department's Sanctions Coordination Office.

Blinken did not elaborate on West's successor, but stressed that Afghanistan will continue to be led by Karen Decker, Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy for Afghanistan, Rina Amiri, Special Representative for Women, Girls and Human Rights in Afghanistan, and John Mark Pommersheim, former US ambassador to the Republic of Tajikistan.

US Secretary of State praised Thomas West's role over the past four years, stating that he has implemented US policies in Afghanistan well.

The US State Department had previously stressed that "the US commitment to Afghanistan remains an enduring priority".

Stanikzai said at a meeting in Logar province on Wednesday that they face problems at the borders when Afghanistan's crops come to fruition.

He added that they had discussed this issue and the closure of the routes with fruit and vegetable traders in detail.

Stanikzai asked Pakistan not to close trade routes during the harvest season of fruits and vegetables in Afghanistan so that the products of Afghan traders can reach the people of Pakistan and from there they can be exported to India and other countries. He stressed that closing the route is not in the interest of either side.

"Afghanistan is a transit route between Pakistan and Central Asia. We can also take countermeasures. We can close our borders and create problems for them. But we don't want to cause problems for our Pakistani Muslim brothers."

Earlier, Attaullah Omari, the Taliban's Minister of Agriculture, announced that Afghanistan's fruit exports to neighbouring countries have faced problems. During a meeting with a number of businessmen, he said that the Taliban are negotiating with Pakistan to facilitate the export of fresh Afghan fruits to this country.

The Torkham crossing has been closed several times in the past three years following border clashes between Pakistani forces and the Taliban. Currently, the main road between Peshawar and Torkham has been blocked due to protests by some Pakistani citizens.

Pakistani media have reported that trucks carrying fruit are using alternate routes, which are rough and dirty, on a limited basis.

The Taliban's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Muttaqi would meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the meeting.

Zia Ahmad Takal, the Taliban's deputy foreign ministry spokesman, wrote on social media platform X on Wednesday, that the meeting will be held on October 4. He has not announced the composition of this delegation, headed by Amir Khan Muttaqi.

This is the sixth meeting of the Moscow format on Afghanistan. The previous meeting of the Moscow format was held on September 29, 2023, in Kazan.

Russian Ambassador to Kabul Dmitry Zhirnov visited the Taliban's Foreign Ministry in September 2024 and met with Amir Khan Muttaqi and invited representatives of the group to participate in the upcoming meeting of the Moscow Format.

In addition to Russia, representatives of India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the Taliban will be present.

None of these countries recognise the Taliban, but they do have diplomatic relations with the group.

The committee expressed concern about the health condition of Barakzai and said that it was following up on her demands.

LGBT rights activist Mohra Barakzai was taken to the hospital on Monday evening due to weakness after a week-long hunger strike in front of the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin.

She is on a hunger strike to protest against the massacre of Hazaras, and recognise LGBT rights and gender apartheid in Afghanistan.

"The committee emphasises that women's legitimate demands must be respected and supported," the statement said.

Mohra Barakzai resumed her strike on Wednesday after recovering in hospital.

At the same time, Diana Daneshvar, another LGBT rights activist, ended her hunger strike after a week.

Diana Daneshwar had also gone on a hunger strike in Islamabad, Pakistan, to protest gender apartheid, the killing of Hazaras, and the expulsion of Afghan immigrants from Iran.

The committee has also called on the international community, human rights organisations and institutions to support Barakzai. The committee's statement called on the German government to pay immediate attention and care to the health of the LGBT activist.

Last year, Mohra Barakzai went on an 11-day strike in Malmö, Sweden, to protest against the situation of LGBT people in Afghanistan, and spent 150 days in a sit-in tent.

The court said on Wednesday that the men were sentenced to 39 lashes for "immorality" and two years in prison each.

In the statement, the court said that the sentence was carried out in public by the Court of First Instance of the Muqar district of Ghazni province.

The Taliban did not provide details about the identities of these individuals. In the past week, the group has flogged at least six people in Laghman, Kandahar and Faryab provinces on various charges.

After regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban has repeatedly punished individuals on various charges in public.

Human rights organisations consider corporal punishment of individuals to be contrary to international law and human dignity and call for an end to it.