Taliban Publicly Flogs 17 People in Khost

Emphasising on the respect for the fundamental rights of the people, they called for a peaceful and immediate resolution of the issues in Afghanistan.

In the declaration at the end of its 16th meeting, the BRICS leaders emphasised on the basic rights of Afghan citizens, including the rights of women, girls, and various ethnic groups in the country.

The statement stressed on the need to provide immediate and uninterrupted humanitarian aid to the Afghan people, calling on the Taliban to lift the ban on girls' education in secondary and higher education.

The BRICS leaders also said that "more visible and verifiable actions must be taken in Afghanistan" to ensure that Afghan soil is not being used by terrorists.

"We support Afghanistan as an independent, united and peaceful country free from terrorism, war and narcotics," the statement reads in part.

BRICS said that it emphasises on the primary and effective role of regional platforms and Afghanistan's neighbouring countries in resolving the country's problem, while welcoming the efforts of regional initiatives to facilitate the settlement of Afghanistan.

The 16th BRICS summit with the participation of 36 countries and six international organisations began on Tuesday, October 22, in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation, and will continue until Thursday, October 24.

Heads of delegations from member states including Russia, Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Iran are attending the meeting.

The group expanded with the membership of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Ethiopia at the beginning of this year.

The organisation said that the death sentences of these defendants were carried out in
Ghezel Hesar prisons in Karaj and the central prison of Karaj.

The rights group has written that it does not have information about the identity of the Afghan prisoner executed in Karaj. The organisation added that the Islamic Republic's judiciary had sentenced the prisoners to death on charges of "corruption on earth, drug-related crimes, and supplying and distributing poisonous alcoholic beverages”.

Iran Human Rights had also reported on Tuesday, October 22, that five prisoners, including two Afghan citizens, had been executed in Qom Central Prison. The human rights organisation had said that they were executed for murder.

Iran Human Rights wrote on Tuesday that the death sentence of an Afghan named Abdul Qadir was carried out on October 10, and another Afghan, whose identity is unknown, was executed by the Islamic Republic on October 16.

Despite international requests to stop the execution of the death sentence, the Islamic Republic has continued to execute prisoners throughout the country.

The explosion occurred around 2pm local time. Footage of the incident obtained by Afghanistan International shows that the explosion took place among vendors.

Sources said that the explosion also caused some casualties and that it was caused by a magnetic mine.

Taliban officials have not commented on the incident and no individual or group has claimed responsibility for the blast so far.

Following the explosion, fire-fighting trucks arrived at the scene. Footage shows people fleeing the scene after the explosion.

Faiq also called on countries to criminalise gender apartheid under international law.

In his speech at the meeting of the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, Faiq described the situation in Afghanistan as extremely worrying.

The Afghan envoy said that Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban is facing a deep crisis in the fields of human rights, social, economic and politics.

The Afghan diplomat reiterated that the Taliban's institutionalised oppression has led to a catastrophic erosion of the fundamental rights of Afghan citizens, especially women and girls.

Faiq also noted that the Taliban's education system focuses on extremism and the training of new recruits for the Taliban rather than providing real training, which will lead to further instability in Afghanistan and the region.

At the end of his speech, the representative of Afghanistan called for serious action by the international community to protect the rights of women and children and prevent the spread of gender apartheid.

After regaining control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban imposed a series of sweeping restrictions on Afghan citizens, especially women and girls.

The group currently prohibits girls from going to university and schools above the sixth grade.
The Taliban also recently signed a new law called the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which targets women and girls more than ever.

The international community has condemned the Taliban's strict rules and called for their repeal, but the group has ignored these demands.

Pezeshkian said, "We should also interact and start a dialogue with Afghanistan. We must help the Afghan people to achieve peace, tranquillity and prosperity by solving their problems."

The leaders of Iran and India discussed the situation in Afghanistan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Tuesday evening (October 22).

In this meeting, the two sides emphasised on the importance of Chabahar port for the development and reconstruction of Afghanistan.

The Indian Prime Minister's Office said that the long-term contract for the Chabahar port is of great importance for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan and the strengthening of trade and economic ties with Central Asia.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted, "The development of Chabahar port is the biggest pillar of our cooperation, and we believe that this development plays an important role in regulating the relations between the two countries as well as the relations between Iran and India with other countries in the region."

In this meeting, the Iranian President said that Afghanistan should be helped to achieve peace and stability.

The Iranian president's office said that Pezeshkian referred to the Indian prime minister's concerns about Afghanistan's issues, saying, "We must build the future of the region with motivation and determination and have dialogue with Afghanistan."

The leaders of the two countries also exchanged views on regional developments, including the situation in West Asia.

Modi expressed deep concern over the escalation of conflicts in the Middle East and once again called for a reduction in tensions. He also stressed on the importance of protecting civilians and the role of diplomacy in resolving conflicts.