English News and Press Release on occupied Palestinian territory about Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding and Protection and Human Rights; published on 27 May 2021 by UN HRC
Afghanistan: Joint call for an immediate end to attacks against human rights defenders and need for protection and accountability
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The threats, harassment, intimidation and attacks against human rights defenders, activists, journalists and media workers in Afghanistan must end – the undersigned international human rights organizations said.
From September 2020 until May 2021, a total of 17 human rights defenders have been killed, including nine journalists, based on information compiled by the Afghan Human Rights Defenders Committee (AHRDC). Nine of those killed were in the first five months of this year. During this period, over 200 human rights defenders and media representatives reported that they were receiving serious threats to the AHRDC and the Afghanistan Journalists Safety Committee. A report published by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in February 2021, noted that 65 media practitioners and human rights defenders have been killed sinc
(Last Updated On: May 19, 2021)
Amnesty International along with nine other watchdog organizations said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the Afghan government has failed to adequately respond to complaints of threats and early warning signals of attacks against human rights defenders and journalists.
“Defenders are faced with an impossible choice of balancing their commitment to work in their country with threats against themselves and their families,” the statement read.
“We call on the Government of Afghanistan to take greater responsibility to ensure the safety and security of defenders, activists, and journalists, and to end impunity for the attacks against them.”
(Last Updated On: May 19, 2021)
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of the Hizb-e-Islami party, says that President Ashraf Ghani along with a number of politicians has agreed to form an eight-member “decision-making” council.
In an exclusive interview with Ariana News, Hekmatyar stated that the council would make the final decisions on national issues in Afghanistan.
Ghani, former President Hamid Karzai, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Jamiat-e-Islami leader Salahuddin Rabbani, Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, Hizb-e-Wahdat Islami leader and the president’s advisor Mohammad Mohaqiq, former Vice President Karim Khalili, and an as yet unnamed member of the Taliban will be on the council.
“The High Council of Government should be formed alongside the government. And limited figures and influential party leaders or let me say influential laterals must be part of it,” Hekmatyar said.