Representatives Of Uzbekistan & European Union Discuss Situation In Afghanistan

Darwish further disclosed that approximately 30 additional death sentences are awaiting final approval from the Taliban leader.

Speaking at an event titled “Coordination Among Government Institutions to Prevent Criminal Offences” in Panjshir, Darwish stated that “these sentences have been executed in accordance with Sharia law, with the aim of establishing justice and deterring crime.” He highlighted that around 30 additional retributive justice (Qisas) sentences have been issued by various courts and will be enacted upon approval from the Taliban’s Supreme Leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.

The judicial system under the Taliban predominantly operates based on a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia and customary laws, diverging significantly from international human rights standards and civil laws. Numerous human rights organisations have expressed concerns over a lack of transparency in Taliban trials, the denial of legal representation for defendants, and the expedited and often compulsory nature of these judicial proceedings.

Reports indicate that defendants in Taliban courts are occasionally convicted without access to defence counsel and, at times, without adequate evidence. Severe penalties, including flogging, amputation, and execution, have also been administered by these courts.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported on Thursday that at least 111 individuals, including 16 women, were subjected to corporal punishment in Afghanistan over the past three months. UNAMA stated that the Taliban had carried out floggings of these individuals, sometimes individually and occasionally in groups, in response to various charges.

According to the committee's information, the drug shipment was transported to Kyrgyzstan via Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

Kyrgyzstan's National Security Committee stated in a video released that it had arrested a foreign smuggler on charges of transporting the drugs. No details have been released about the identity of the foreigner.

The drugs were reportedly methamphetamine, and the smugglers were planning to transport them to Hong Kong, China, after Kyrgyzstan. China and Kyrgyzstan share a border.

Kyrgyzstan's National Security Committee said that the foreigner was in custody and that security forces were interrogating him to identify his accomplices.

The media outlet reported that 58 families from Pakistan and 146 families from Iran have returned to Afghanistan.

The Taliban-controlled state media outlet Bakhtar News Agency reported on Friday, November 1, that the Afghan refugees were deported to Afghanistan from the Torkham, Spin Boldak, Islam Qala and Pul-e-Abrisham crossings.

On Tuesday, October 29, the media outlet also reported the deportation of 268 Afghan refugee families from Iran and Pakistan.

Sergey Lavrov said that the United States and its allies are seeking to resume a military presence in Central Asia.

"The United States and its allies, who fled Afghanistan after 20 years of occupation, today want to interfere in the fragile process of stabilising the situation in the country and are inventing excuses to resume their military presence in Central Asian countries," he said on Thursday, October 31, at the International Eurasian Security Conference in Minsk, Belarus.

Sergey Lavrov did not provide further details. However, following its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the US government had said that it would monitor the activities of terrorist groups in Afghanistan "with aerial surveillance and reconnaissance”.

Under the plan, the US military in the region has strengthened its ability to monitor, control, and, if necessary, strike terrorists.

Earlier, the Taliban's defence minister had said in a televised interview that the group was trying to prevent foreign planes from patrolling Afghanistan's airspace. Mullah Yaqoob had said that Afghanistan's airspace was still under "occupation".

The Taliban has accused Pakistan of allowing US planes to enter Afghan territory. There have been reports of US drones patrolling the skies over Kandahar, Kapisa, Kabul, Badakhshan, Panjshir, Nimroz, Herat and some other provinces of Afghanistan.

Referring to the role of the United States in the political developments of various countries, Sergey Lavrov said, "As a result of the aggressive actions of the United States, NATO and the European Union, the risks of the fragmentation of our continent have increased."

Bennett added that the international community must have a coherent strategy and action plan on Afghanistan.

In a recent interview with United Nations Radio in New York, which aired on Thursday, October 31, He said that the human rights situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating, especially for women, girls, ethnic and religious minorities, the media, and civil society. He stressed that space in Afghanistan is shrinking.

Bennett also said that nowhere in the world are women and girls treated in such a "horrific" way as in Afghanistan. He said that during his report to the UN General Assembly in New York, he would ask the UN member states not to forget Afghanistan.

Bennett told the international community, "Don't forget Afghanistan. The countries that had committed themselves to Afghanistan abandoned it in a hurry. These countries have a responsibility not to forget Afghanistan."

The UN human rights official said that the international community should have a coherent international strategy on Afghanistan in which the interests of the Afghan people are prioritised over the interests of regional or specific countries.

Referring to the recommendations and suggestions of the United Nations Special Coordinator, Feridun Sinirlioğlu, Richard Bennett stressed on the need to develop a roadmap and action plan for the future of Afghanistan that includes women, civil society, and even the Taliban.

The United Nations on Monday released a detailed report by Richard Bennett, the special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan. Bennett will present the report to the UN General Assembly on Friday, November 1.

The report mentions the repression of women in protest against the Taliban's compulsory hijab. According to Bennett's report, some female protesters were taken to a Taliban police station where they were subjected to verbal and physical violence.

In his new report, he said that some "credible sources" testified about the sexual harassment and rape of women in Taliban prisons.