CPJ Calls Taliban's Ban on Broadcast of Images of Living Beings Worrying

Karzai praised the BRICS declaration, which highlighted the restoration of fundamental rights for all Afghans, describing it as "commendable”.

In the concluding statement of their 16th summit, released on Wednesday (October 23) BRICS leaders underscored the importance of protecting the basic rights of Afghan citizens, specifically the rights of women, girls, and various ethnic groups.

The statement also urged the Taliban to reopen schools and universities for girls, calling for an immediate and peaceful resolution to Afghanistan’s challenges.

On Monday, Karzai met with Dmitry Zhirnov, the Russian ambassador to Kabul. Following the meeting, Karzai's office released a statement in which the former president welcomed the Russian Federation's position on Afghanistan as presented within the framework of both the "Moscow Format" and BRICS summits.

Karzai stated, "The BRICS declaration, which supports an independent, unified, and peaceful Afghanistan and stresses on the restoration of fundamental Afghan rights, is worthy of appreciation."

The former president further emphasised that “achieving enduring peace and stability in Afghanistan requires a national consensus”.

The 16th BRICS summit, which saw attendance from representatives of 36 countries and six international organisations, took place on Tuesday (October 22) in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation.

Bennett added that he was deeply concerned by the numerous reports of sexual violence against women inside the Taliban's prison.

The United Nations on Monday released a detailed report by Bennett, which he will present to the UN General Assembly on November 2.

The report mentions instances of sexual violence committed against women during the Taliban crackdown in January 2024 on women wearing “inappropriate” or “incorrect” hijabs.

Survivors described being taken to police stations where they were beaten and verbally abused and, in some cases, sexually assaulted.

One of the victims told the UN Special Rapporteur, "During interrogation, I was beaten, my head was banged against the wall… One of them tore my hijab and touched my private parts of my body."

Regarding the assault and rape of detained women, the report said, "Information from reliable sources indicates that women have been raped or sexually harassed during this crackdown."

The report noted the negative impact of prison on women activists. A number of women prisoners told the Special Rapporteur that although they had not experienced sexual violence in prison, they had been ostracised by society and their families.

The Special Rapporteur expressed concern over the high rate of violence against women and girls in Afghanistan, adding that gender-based violence in Afghanistan has worsened under the Taliban's rule due to repressive laws.

The report said that the Taliban's laws and policies have deprived women of their basic rights.

"While women and girls have been most affected by these repressive policies, all Afghans, regardless of gender, have been deprived of their rights, and this will cause devastating and lasting damage," the report said.

In his report, Bennett said that the Taliban's Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice "further institutionalised harassment of women and girls”.

The Special Rapporteur has reported an increase in cases of depression, anxiety, isolation and even suicide among women, and warned that "the institutionalisation of gender oppression by the Taliban and the dehumanisation of women and girls is likely to create a dangerous ideology in the next generations in Afghanistan, especially among young boys and men”.

Bennett also stressed that "the Taliban's system of gender oppression can amount to crimes against humanity, including gender abuse”.
He described the current situation in Afghanistan as a clear example of gender apartheid.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights further referred to the Taliban's claim to represent the entire Afghan people, "The Taliban regime is neither inclusive nor representative of Afghan society."

The Special Rapporteur added that the Taliban, especially at the highest levels of leadership, are mainly Sunni Pashtun men. According to the report, the Taliban claims unity in the country, but has discriminated, excluded, and rejected ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups outside the Taliban.

The court said in a statement on Monday that the men were convicted of running away from home and having same-sex relations.

A statement from the Taliban's Supreme Court said that a woman and a man were sentenced to 39 lashes for running away from home and two other men for same-sex relations.

According to the court's statement, two of the defendants were sentenced to six months in prison and the other two were sentenced to one year in prison.

Also on Sunday, the Taliban flogged a man in Faryab province for allegedly having extra-marital affairs.

Despite the objections of international human rights organisations, the Taliban continues to punish and torture defendants in public.

The Taliban leader has dissolved the pension system in Afghanistan and cut the salaries of retirees.

A number of retired officers who gathered in front of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) office in Kabul on Monday, October 28, said that after several protests, they were forced to protest in front of the UN office to solve their problems.

In a video obtained by Afghanistan International, a number of these protesters can be seen gathering and talking.

In the past three years, retired employees of the former government have repeatedly protested against the non-payment of their pensions.
Recently, some of them also blocked the street leading to the Taliban's Ministry of Finance in Kabul.

Retired employees said that they have not received their pensions since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.

Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has dissolved the pension system in Afghanistan and cut the salaries of retirees.

This comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics show that 22 cases of the disease have been recorded in Afghanistan as of September this year.

This contradiction has raised concerns about the Taliban's secrecy in providing real statistics on diseases.

Medical experts allege that the lack of accurate reporting of polio cases causes preventive measures and targeted vaccinations to not be carried out properly. This can lead to further spread of the disease and more children to develop paralysis.

According to these experts, secrecy and the dissemination of false information reduce public trust in the healthcare system. They say that people may lose trust in vaccination and health advice, which in turn will lead to bigger health problems.

About a month and a half after the Taliban's decision to suspend the polio vaccination campaign in Afghanistan, the group's Ministry of Public Health announced the resumption of the campaign in several provinces.

Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil, a spokesperson for the ministry, claimed that no positive cases of polio have been reported in Afghanistan this year.

However, statistics published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) this year show that 22 cases of polio have been recorded in Afghanistan from the beginning of the year to September.

According to the statistics, between August 22 and August 30, three cases of polio were reported in Kandahar and Helmand provinces.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan, the only other country besides Afghanistan which is fighting the eradication of polio, the number of cases has reached more than 40.