In recent weeks, several women activists, who were raising concerns about rights issues, went missing in Kabul….reports Asian Lite News
The top UN envoy in Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons met top Taliban leadership on Tuesday and voiced concern about the women’s safety in the country.
“It is three weeks now since Afghan women activists began ‘disappearing’ from their homes & the streets of Kabul. @DeborahLyonsUN in a meeting with dfA Dep-PM Hanafi today again voiced concern to Taliban leadership about the women’s safety, urging all steps to secure their liberty,” UN Mission in Afghanistan said in a tweet.
In recent weeks, several women activists, who were raising concerns about rights issues, went missing in Kabul. The UN has sought information from the Taliban on the latest reported detentions by the outfit.
On Monday, Germany had joined the ranks with the United Kingdom and other western countries in raising concern about the recent disappearance of female Afghan activists.
Earlier, Deborah Lyons also expressed deep concern about the well-being of “disappeared” women activists. In a meeting with Afghanistan’s acting Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs, Deborah Lyons, had said world support to Afghanistan is eroded without respect for all Afghan’s rights.
US Special Envoy Rina Amiri also asked the Taliban to stop unjust detentions of Afghans’ human rights if the outfit wishes to seek legitimacy from the Afghan people and the world.
Global pressure mounts
The disappearance of Afghan women activists who were protesting for their rights under the Taliban regime has created a furor among international organizations and countries globally.
The European Union, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, and UNAMA have communicated serious concern over the fate of Afghan women activists who disappeared after participating in protests to demand fundamental rights for women, reported Tolo News.
The United Nations Secretary General’s envoy for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, met with the Taliban’s Deputy PM, Abdul Kabir, to convey her concerns about the safety of the women.
UNAMA said on Twitter: “Convey(ed) deepening concern about … ‘disappeared’ women activists, Kabir committed to seeking answers. We appreciate this & await an update. World support to Afghanistan is eroded without respect for all Afghan’s rights.”
The EU’s special representative for Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, said the detention and disappearance of citizens contradict the Taliban’s commitments to protecting human rights, reported Tolo News.
“Taliban announced ‘interim government’ claims to be owned by the people. Arbitrary detention of citizens and disappearances undermine such claims and contradict their declared commitments to uphold human rights. I join the call for an immediate release,” Niklasson said.
Meanwhile, Potzel Markus, German ambassador-designate to Afghanistan, and Hugo Shorter, Charge d’Affaires of the UK Mission to Afghanistan, have addressed the disappearance of women, saying the issue is worrying, reported Tolo News.
Tamana Zaryab Paryani, Parwana Ibrahimkhil, Mursal Ayar, and Zahra Mohammadi have been allegedly detained during the past month for taking part in protests for women’s rights.
Moreover, a number of Afghan women claimed that the Taliban asks women not to attend protests after releasing them.
“When the girls are released, the Taliban asks them not to attend protests, which is very worrying. Protesting is our right, no one should forbid it,” said Nafisa Bahar, a women’s rights activist. (ANI)
ALSO READ: DAILY BRIEF: Malala weighs in on Indian Hijab row, and Pakistani farmers announce protests