The United Nations Human Rights Office has criticized the Taliban’s deadly crackdown on peaceful rallies in Afghanistan.
Afghan women and men have flocked to the streets to defend their human rights, despite the dangers. According to UN monitors, women have been fighting for their right to work, freedom of travel, education, and participation in public affairs.
According to U.N. human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani, the Taliban has responded harshly to the protests, which are protected under international human rights legislation.
“We have seen the use of live ammunition, albeit there are reports that they are firing into the air in an apparent attempt to disperse the protesters. Protesters have still been killed. There have been reports of severe beatings as well, and we have also received reports of house-to-house search operations to try to identify those who attended certain protests,” Shamdasani said.
This week, the Taliban reportedly banned so-called unauthorized assemblies and ordered telecommunications companies to switch off internet service on mobile phones in specific areas of the capital, Kabul.
Shamdasani said her office has received credible reports of women’s rights activists and journalists covering protests in the country being arbitrarily arrested and savagely beaten.
She said four deaths have been confirmed, although that number is likely to be higher.
“The Taliban are currently in control of Afghanistan, and we are calling on them to abide by the obligations under international human rights law that Afghanistan is bound by. It is very crucial that they do not resort to the use of force. It is in no one’s interest really to see this kind of bloodshed on the streets. It is not going to help to consolidate or stabilize society,” Shamdasani said.
