Will Not Attend Regional Tehran Meeting On Afghanistan, Says Taliban

The conference, held on Friday, 12 December, and hosted by Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid, highlighted that Afghanistan ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 2003 without reservations and is therefore legally bound to uphold and implement its provisions.

Participants said that more than four years after the Taliban’s return to power, the group’s policies have led to the systematic exclusion of women and girls from public, educational, professional and political life. They stressed that, given the Taliban’s refusal to engage meaningfully with international demands, concrete legal action at the global level is now required.

In July, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the systematic repression of women. The move was described as part of broader efforts to ensure justice and accountability for human rights violations in Afghanistan.

Conference participants emphasised that enforcement of the warrants would not be possible without practical cooperation from governments.

Citing credible United Nations reports, speakers said there is clear evidence of segregation and the systematic exclusion of women and girls from public life in Afghanistan a situation the UN special rapporteur has described as amounting to crimes against humanity and gender apartheid.

The conference also urged governments to support the formal recognition of gender apartheid as a distinct crime against humanity under international law.

Participants warned that without sustained political will, sufficient financial support and the meaningful participation of victims, accountability efforts would fail and impunity for serious human rights violations would continue.

In a statement, the court said the punishment was carried out by a Taliban primary court in the Sherzad district of Nangarhar.

According to the statement, Taliban judicial and local officials, as well as local residents, were present during the flogging.

No details were released about the identities of those punished or the judicial process that led to the sentences.

The Taliban routinely detain and publicly flog individuals on a range of charges. The group describes the public enforcement of corporal punishment and executions as the “implementation of Sharia law.”

Over the past four years, hundreds of people have been publicly flogged, and at least 11 people have been executed. The most recent execution took place five days ago at Khost city stadium, where the Taliban said about 80,000 people were present to witness the execution.

Addressing a gathering of local residents, Haqqani said people should not humiliate or condemn one another. “A government that controls people only by frightening them is not a government,” he said. “Between the people and a good government, there must be a bond of affection and trust.”

He added that a government has meaning only when it provides peace, justice and an atmosphere of trust for the population.

For more than four years, the Taliban have suppressed public protests with force and detained critics. The group has carried out public floggings and executions, actions that human rights organisations have sharply criticised as part of what they describe as widespread repression and a suffocating environment in Afghanistan.

Haqqani said Afghans have suffered for years because of their desire for freedom and independence. “The suffering and pain of Afghans have been because they refused servitude and sought independence and freedom,” he said.

In another part of his speech, Haqqani said: “Once, we were oppressed by the emperors of the world, but now we ourselves have so little tolerance that we condemn and humiliate people. This must stop. We should treat people in a way that removes hostility and enmity.”

Ministry spokesperson Sonja Kock said some Afghan refugees will soon be informed that there is no longer any political justification for accepting them.

German media reported that, under the ministry’s new decision, the resettlement process for at least 640 Afghan refugees in Pakistan will be cancelled.

Around 1,800 Afghan refugees who fled to Pakistan after the Taliban takeover and applied for resettlement in Germany because they feared persecution remain in the country. The German government had previously promised to accept them.

According to Deutsche Welle, at least 130 Afghan refugees in Pakistan have already received letters informing them that their acceptance into Germany has been revoked. The letters were sent by GIZ, Germany’s development agency.

The letter states: “After further detailed examination, it has been decided that there are no grounds for granting admission to Germany under Section 22 of the Residence Act.” The notice does not explain why the earlier pledge of acceptance was withdrawn.

Reports say many of those affected previously worked as local staff on German-funded projects before the collapse of the former Afghan government and the Taliban’s return to power.

The Interior Ministry spokesperson said that among the remaining 220 former local employees, 90 are still eligible to apply for admission.

Germany’s previous government, a coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals, had pledged to admit women’s rights activists, lawyers, journalists and other Afghan dissidents through the so-called “human rights list” and “bridge list.”

That government relocated several Afghan women’s rights activists, lawyers, journalists and political opponents of the Taliban under special programmes. However, the current government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said it intends to restrict refugee resettlement programmes as much as possible.

According to official figures, from the Taliban takeover until April 2025, Germany admitted about 4,000 former Afghan local employees and nearly 15,000 of their family members.

In an interview with Afghanistan International, Atmar referred to the recent “unity of voice” among Afghan political movements, saying all sides have jointly declared that their preference is not war but a political settlement achieved through negotiation and dialogue.

He said the Taliban must respond positively to this demand but added: “I am not sure the Taliban will do so.”

Atmar warned that if the Taliban refuse to engage in talks, they will push Afghanistan into a “major disaster” and create opportunities for the country’s enemies.

He said the international community should not support war and bloodshed in Afghanistan, but instead back a political solution and help facilitate intra-Afghan dialogue.

Atmar said Afghanistan is no longer a priority for the international community, but stressed that the world must still honour its commitments to the country.

He added that the Taliban have failed to uphold their obligations under the Doha Agreement, saying such behaviour contradicts Islamic teachings.

In another part of the interview, Atmar addressed rising tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan, describing them as a “real crisis” and saying: “These tensions will not be resolved by issuing fatwas.”

Referring to the previous Afghan government’s efforts to reach a political settlement with Pakistan, Atmar said: “As part of those efforts, I travelled to Pakistan ten times to secure Mullah Baradar’s release so that negotiations could move forward.” He added that he does not trust Pakistan.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is one of the founders of the Taliban and a close associate of the group’s founder, Mullah Omar. He was arrested by Pakistan’s intelligence service in 2010 and held until 2018. Baradar was released following US efforts, particularly by Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, and later became head of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar.

Baradar was a signatory to the Doha peace agreement between the Taliban and the United States. He now serves as the Taliban administration’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs and is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Kabul’s current leadership.