Wide-ranging Restrictions On Women Undermine Afghanistan’s Future, Says UN

According to the embassy, the Taliban ambassador discussed Afghanistan’s political situation, humanitarian assistance and regional issues with the officials.

In separate statements issued on Wednesday, 10 December, the Taliban embassy said Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban ambassador in Doha, held talks with Richard Lindsay, the UK’s special envoy for Afghanistan; Patrick DeVries, a senior adviser to the European Institute of Peace; and Virginia Gamba, the UN secretary-general’s representative for children and armed conflict.

The embassy said Shaheen discussed Afghanistan’s political situation, humanitarian aid, education and bilateral relations with the UK envoy.

According to the statement, Shaheen’s meeting with DeVries focused on the Taliban relations with the European Union, peace, regional and global issues and building trust between the international community and the Taliban.

The meetings come as South Asia Magazine recently reported that two organisations in Brussels had convened a discussion on the growing challenges under Taliban rule and the urgent need for political change in Afghanistan. Representatives of Taliban opposition groups, officials from EU member states and European institutional officials took part in that meeting.

Meanwhile, several Afghan political figures including Ahmad Massoud, Abdul Rashid Dostum, Mohammad Ismail Khan, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, Mohammad Yunus Qanuni, Mohammad Mohaqiq and Atta Mohammad Noor have formed a new coalition calling for the start of intra-Afghan peace talks under UN and international supervision.

The Taliban embassy said Shaheen also met with a delegation led by Virginia Gamba. According to the statement, the discussion centred on Afghanistan’s political situation, humanitarian aid and the education of Afghan children.

The individuals received between 25 and 39 lashes and were sentenced to between one and three years in prison.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, 10 December coinciding with International Human Rights Day the Taliban Supreme Court said the primary court in Gospandi district had publicly flogged five people, including two women, on charges of sexual relations outside marriage. They were also sentenced to one to three years’ imprisonment.

In a separate statement, the court reported the public flogging of one woman and one man in Behsud district on charges of illicit relations. They were sentenced to one year and one and a half years in prison respectively.

The public punishments were carried out as the United Nations marked International Human Rights Day under the slogan “Our Basic Needs.” Access to fair trials and respect for human dignity are among the fundamental rights and basic needs of human societies, principles that critics say the Taliban have disregarded during more than four years of rule in Afghanistan.

Data collected by Afghanistan International shows that in the past week alone, the Taliban have flogged at least 94 people across the country on various charges.

The Taliban describe flogging of those convicted in their courts as the implementation of Islamic law. International organisations consider such punishments a violation of human rights standards and have repeatedly called on the Taliban to end corporal punishment and torture.

He said he would prefer the United States to accept immigrants from countries like Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

Trump made the remarks during a speech at a rally in Pennsylvania.

A week earlier, the United States announced it had suspended all immigration applications, including applications for green cards and US citizenship, from Afghan migrants and nationals of 18 other countries.

Those countries, all non-European, include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The official memo outlining the Trump administration’s new policy refers to last week’s attack on members of the US National Guard in Washington, in which an Afghan man was arrested as a suspect. Officials said they had identified Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan who had been granted asylum in April, as the suspect in the attack.

Since returning to power in January this year, President Donald Trump has adopted strict immigration policies. Following the recent attack on US soldiers in Washington, the Trump administration has intensified its actions against immigrants, particularly Afghans.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday, that Bertrand assured the continuation of EU assistance to Afghanistan during the meeting.

According to the ministry, Bertrand called for expanded cooperation between the two sides to help attract investment from major foreign companies into Afghanistan.

Muttaqi, expressing appreciation for the EU’s support, urged Europe to take positive steps to advance Afghanistan’s development across various sectors.

The statement said security issues and the situation of migrants returning to Afghanistan were also discussed.

No further details of the meeting have been released.

Bertrand’s first visit to Afghanistan took place earlier this year. During that trip, he met Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister, and the two sides discussed countering drug cultivation and trafficking, as well as the return of Afghan migrants.

Bertrand also said that supporting Afghan women and girls remained one of his top priorities.

The joint statement, issued under the title “National Consensus of Afghan Political Parties and Movements,” was released on Tuesday during an online meeting aimed at presenting a shared proposal for resolving Afghanistan’s current crisis.

Three days earlier, Afghanistan International had reported that the Islamic Republic of Iran, in meetings with former Afghan officials, was encouraging Taliban opponents to reconcile with the group. The report said a joint “National Consensus” declaration was expected to follow.

In the statement, the signatories stress that Afghanistan’s crisis must be resolved through negotiations and a lasting intra-Afghan agreement, facilitated by the United Nations with support from the UN Security Council, regional countries and the broader international community.

According to the statement, any political settlement must be binding, guarantee sustainable peace, national reconciliation and the establishment of a legitimate governing system. It also states that compliance with the agreement must be the primary condition for recognising any government in Afghanistan, and that the participation of women and young people in the talks must be ensured.

The declaration calls for the restoration of national sovereignty through a legitimate, representative system, and urges coordinated efforts among political and civil forces to reach inclusive agreements and hold free, nationwide elections.

It also emphasises drafting a new constitution, safeguarding Afghanistan’s independence and territorial integrity, and “preventing the country from becoming a battleground for foreign rivalries.”

The signatories identify upholding human rights and combating discrimination as key priorities. They outline several urgent steps: lifting the ban on women’s and girls’ education and employment; halting the arrest and torture of former government employees; preventing land usurpation and forced displacement; stopping the sale of natural resources without public oversight; and removing unlawful restrictions on freedom of expression.

Elsewhere in the statement, the signatories call for increased humanitarian aid and for greater transparency in its distribution. They also urge the ruling group to lift restrictions on women’s work and to use national revenues transparently to meet the needs of vulnerable citizens. Donor countries are asked to step up efforts to prevent the misuse of humanitarian aid, and governments that halted assistance are encouraged to resume it under the supervision of a neutral committee.

The declaration calls on the Taliban to respond to public demands for restoring national sovereignty, resolving the crisis through intra-Afghan dialogue and respecting human rights especially women’s rights. The signatories warn that otherwise Afghans will resort to legitimate means to rescue the country from its current situation.

The statement concludes by urging political and civil groups to support the goals of the National Consensus, and calling on neighbouring states, regional actors and the international community to back the demands of the Afghan people. It also asks the United Nations to ensure the participation of Afghanistan’s political and civil society actors in any UN-led political process.

In recent weeks, some opposition political figures have travelled to Iran. Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the Taliban’s minister of higher education and a close ally of the group’s leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has also visited Tehran. So far, however, no direct talks between the Taliban and opposition figures have been reported.

Iran is concerned that Pakistan, by supporting Afghan opposition groups, could weaken the Taliban regime. Many analysts believe the Islamic Republic does not view the collapse of the Taliban government as being in its interest.