The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) has issued a statement calling for an international political process to end Taliban rule and pave the way for establishing a “democratic system based on the people’s vote” in Afghanistan.
The statement, released on Wednesday, 10 December, to mark International Human Rights Day, notes that Afghanistan is not unfamiliar with universal human-rights values and was among the first states to sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
According to the AFF, Afghanistan’s former government had joined seven of the nine core human-rights treaties including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention Against Torture, the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, thereby undertaking extensive commitments to support and strengthen human rights.
However, the AFF says Afghans now live under a regime that is neither the product of the people’s vote nor adherent to any human-rights standards.
The statement says that four years after the Taliban takeover, the group systematically and routinely violates the fundamental rights of the population, including the rights to political participation, freedom of expression and access to information, as well as the rights to work, education, movement, communication and justice.
The AFF describes the situation of Afghan women as “unprecedented in modern history,” saying women and girls have not only been denied education and employment but have also had their human dignity openly violated. According to the group, Afghanistan is now the only country where women have been effectively removed from public life.
The statement also criticises the international community and the United Nations, arguing that policies such as political engagement, lack of transparency in humanitarian aid and a focus on crisis management rather than crisis resolution have effectively strengthened and prolonged Taliban rule.
Another section highlights the plight of Afghan migrants and refugees abroad, condemning mass deportations, mistreatment and clear violations of international refugee conventions.
The armed anti-Taliban group presents eight recommendations to the international community, including continued non-recognition of the Taliban; launching an international political process to transition away from Taliban rule; conditioning humanitarian aid; halting deportations of Afghan refugees; supporting media, civil society and women; establishing an international mechanism to document and investigate Taliban crimes; appointing a UN special representative for the Afghan peace process; and recognising gender apartheid in Afghanistan.
