Mr. President,
FIDH and its member organization Armanshahr/OPEN-ASIA welcome this oral update. We remain seriously concerned by the human rights crisis in Afghanistan. The situation is particularly dire for women and girls, human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society organizations.
Over the past 10 months, abundant evidence has emerged that the Taliban remains the same human rights abusing entity it was before its August 2021 power seizure. The recent decisions by the de facto authorities to keep girls above grade six out of school and to force women to cover their faces are only two examples of the massive setback for the rights of women and girls.
The dissolution by the Taliban of the Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission in May is illustrative of its relentless assault on those who seek to defend human rights. Journalists remain a key target of the Taliban, which is demonstrated by the recent arbitrary detention of at least two of them and the disappearance of two others. Lastly, we continue to receive alarming reports of human rights defenders who face intimidation, harassment, threats, violence, and targeted killings.
The Human Rights Council must continue to monitor this crisis and ensure the prevention of human rights violations in Afghanistan. We reiterate our demand for the Council to develop a robust independent investigative mechanism and to work with the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan to strengthen the investigation and reporting of violations, and to promote accountability.
Thank you.