Rights Advocates Urge UN To Intervene In Afghan Female Prisoner’s Case

According to the newspaper, 26 Afghan women had their asylum applications denied in the first three months of 2024. In total, the UK has turned down asylum claims from 2,000 Afghans.

Official statistics highlight a sharp decline in the acceptance rate for Afghan asylum cases, plummeting from 98.5 percent in the last quarter of 2023 to just 36 percent in the final quarter of 2024.

The woman, identified only as Mina (a pseudonym), was a prominent advocate for women’s education in Afghanistan before the Taliban regained control of Kabul. She told The Guardian: “I assumed my asylum claim would be granted—I am from Afghanistan, I’m a woman, and I worked with Western governments. The refusal was an absolute shock.” She added, “Now every day I fear being sent back to my home country. Having a normal life here feels like an unattainable dream. I’m really suffering mentally.”

During her asylum interview, Mina detailed the dangers she would face if returned to Afghanistan. However, the Home Office’s rejection letter stated that she would not face a “real risk of persecution or harm.” The letter dismissed her claims of “adverse attention” from the Taliban as insufficient evidence and suggested that her occupation likely provided her with “a great support network.”

Mina’s UK solicitor, Jamie Bell, expressed dismay at the decision, telling The Guardian: “It is shocking that 26 Afghan women were refused asylum in the last quarter.” He criticized the Home Office’s stance, calling it “deeply concerning” that the department believes women who risked their lives defending human rights would not be in danger upon returning to Afghanistan. Bell emphasized that the UK should take pride in supporting individuals like Mina.

They appealed to Afghans to “stand with us to claim our rights from the Taliban” and urged the international community to pressure the Taliban to release owed pensions.

In a video clip sent to Afghanistan International, a retiree accused the Taliban of four years of broken promises, revealing he lacked bread during Eid al-Fitr and sold his carpet to survive.

Since seizing Kabul in August 2021, the Taliban halted pension payments, exacerbating economic hardship amid rising poverty, unemployment, and soaring prices for essentials.

Retirees say the absence of pensions has plunged their lives into severe difficulty. Three months ago, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada directed pension cases to special courts, but protesters claim this has only sown confusion without delivering results.

Kabir proposed a joint session with Iranian officials to negotiate their return, according to a Saturday statement from the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees, which highlighted discussions on bilateral ties and repatriation.

Kabir noted frequent Iranian visits to Kabul as a sign of Tehran’s interest in friendly relations, urging Iran to allow Afghan refugees more time for voluntary return. He revealed plans for a mechanism to provide legal documents to Afghans whose residency in Iran has expired, ensuring lawful stays.

Bahrami invited Kabir to Tehran, suggesting a pre-visit roadmap to enhance progress on a mutual repatriation agreement.

Bahrami claimed 8 million Afghans reside in Iran, with 4 million lacking legal documents or overstaying permits. The Iranian Embassy in Kabul previously stated the Taliban agreed to repatriate undocumented migrants.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported over 1.2 million Afghans returned from Iran in 2024, with 67 percent forcibly deported. Nader Yarahmadi, head of Iran’s Migration Center, earlier said over 3 million Afghans were deported in the past three years.

NSC spokesperson James Hewitt said no discussions are underway about the embassy’s status, while a State Department spokesperson added, “The US does not recognise any entity as Afghanistan’s government and has no plans to reopen its embassy.”

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid recently told Al Arabiya that the group had asked the US to relinquish control of the Afghan embassy in Washington and reopen its Kabul mission, awaiting a response. The NSC countered: “We’ve made no commitments on the Afghan Embassy in Washington, and no talks are ongoing about the US Embassy compound in Kabul.”

Last month, a US delegation—including Adam Boehler, Donald Trump’s hostage affairs envoy, and Zalmay Khalilzad, former Afghanistan envoy—visited Kabul, meeting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Some reports suggest they first travelled to Kandahar to confer with figures close to Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah.

The Taliban sought recognition as Afghanistan’s legitimate government during these talks and later released George Glezmann, a 66-year-old American tourist. Mujahid noted the US responded by lifting bounties on Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s Interior Minister, and two Haqqani Network members, calling it a positive step for relations.

The US closed its Kabul embassy in August 2021 after withdrawing from Afghanistan, with diplomats since operating from Qatar. CNN reported, citing US officials, that the Taliban is pushing to win favour with Trump, aiming for formal ties and a US political office.

However, sources told CNN the US still designates the Taliban as a terrorist group, a view echoed by Vice President J.D. Vance, who once labelled them among the world’s worst terrorist organisations.

The appeal came in a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the first EU–Central Asia summit, held on Friday, 4 April, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The summit, hosted by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, brought together heads of state who underscored their shared commitment to Afghanistan’s development and expressed concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country.

In their statement, the leaders stressed the need for a secure, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan governed by inclusive systems that protect the rights of all citizens, including women, girls, ethnic and religious minorities. They also called on Afghanistan to honour its international obligations and live in peace with itself and its neighbours.

“We emphasised our strong commitment to see Afghanistan develop into a secure, stable and prosperous State with inclusive government and governance systems that respects the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all its citizens, including women, girls, persons belonging to ethnic and religious groups and minorities,” the statement read.

The EU and Central Asian leaders specifically urged full and equal access to education for women and girls in accordance with international standards, as well as their active participation in public and political life. The statement also called for the continuation of regular consultations between EU special representatives and their Central Asian counterparts on the situation in Afghanistan.

During the summit, President Mirziyoyev voiced particular concern over regional security threats emanating from Afghanistan and criticised what he described as the international community’s insufficient attention to the issue. He reaffirmed Uzbekistan’s readiness to engage in political consultations to promote Afghanistan’s peaceful development.