EU and US Concerned about Reports of Executions of Former Security Forces in Afghanistan | News from Germany on world events | Dw

The European Union, the United States and other countries have expressed concern about reports from human rights organizations about the mass executions of former Afghan security forces by the Taliban. “We are deeply concerned about the reports documented by Human Rights Watch and other organizations,” said a joint statement on behalf of the EU and national governments of 21 countries, released Saturday, December 4.

The document, signed, in particular, by representatives of the United States, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, Ukraine, Japan and other countries, also points to the recorded cases of kidnapping.

Taliban accused of breaking amnesty promise

The authors of the statement accused the Taliban Islamists of acting contrary to their own promise to grant amnesty to former members of the security forces, describing it as “gross violations of human rights.”

A few days earlier, the human rights organization Human Rights Watch published a report, which refers to the documented executions or enforced disappearances of more than 100 former members of the Afghan National Security Forces and other security forces who surrendered or were arrested by the Islamists.

The perpetrators must be held accountable

“The documented cases must be promptly and transparently investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. These steps must be made public to serve as an immediate deterrent to further killings and enforced disappearances. We will continue to judge the Taliban by their actions,” the joint statement said. …

The Taliban announced a general amnesty two days after the invasion of the Afghan capital, Kabul, in August 2021. Taliban spokesman Sabihullah Mujahid said at a press conference at the time that everyone had been pardoned.

However, already in September, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet announced that there was reliable information about the Taliban massacre of former Afghan security forces. According to her, the militants organized raids in search of opponents, some employees of the former Afghan government are found dead, others, as well as their family members, are abducted by the Islamists.

See also:

• How life changed in Afghanistan after the arrival of the Taliban

  In a male society

  Judging by the photographs and videos of news agencies, the streets of Afghanistan have become crowded and noisy again. Restaurants in Herat seem to have reopened to the public. But what immediately catches the eye is that only men are sitting at the tables, some of them are dressed in the traditional kurta for Afghanistan – a knee-length shirt. There are almost no women on the streets.

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  How life changed in Afghanistan after the arrival of the Taliban

  Learn – only individually

  These students at a private university in Kabul are separated from each other by a ceiling-to-floor curtain: universities have already officially announced gender segregation. “Learning together is contrary to the principles of Islam, as well as national values, customs and traditions,” Acting Minister of Higher Education Abdul Baqi Haqqani said in Kabul.

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  How life changed in Afghanistan after the arrival of the Taliban

  Lost rights and freedoms

  On the way to the mosque in Herat: after the Taliban came to power, most of the rights and freedoms that women gained in Afghanistan during the years of staying there were lost. The Taliban have already banned women from sports and social activities.

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  How life changed in Afghanistan after the arrival of the Taliban

  Constant control on the roads

  Checkpoints and road checks have become a characteristic feature of the urban landscape in Afghanistan. People are afraid of the Taliban, armed to the teeth, and therefore want to attract as little attention to themselves as possible. Western clothing is being worn less and less.

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  How life changed in Afghanistan after the arrival of the Taliban

  Taliban take over their enemy’s estate

  Many villas and palaces have changed owners. This greenhouse and estate in Kabul’s Sherpur region was recently owned by Abdul Rashid Dostum, an Afghan field commander and former vice president. Taliban fighters have taken over the home of one of their worst enemies. Dostum himself fled to Uzbekistan.

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  How life changed in Afghanistan after the arrival of the Taliban

  Waiting for work

  Day laborers sit by the side of a road in Kabul, hoping to be offered some kind of job. After the Taliban came to power, Afghanistan is experiencing an economic crisis, and many of the country’s residents have been left without work. According to the UN, in the coming months, the population of Afghanistan will be threatened by rising food prices and poverty.

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  How life changed in Afghanistan after the arrival of the Taliban

  Fight for your rights

  The rise to power of the Taliban in many cities of the country was accompanied by protests such as this one in front of the presidential palace in Kabul on September 3. Afghan women activists defend their right to education and work – even as the Taliban forcefully disperse peaceful demonstrations.

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  How life changed in Afghanistan after the arrival of the Taliban

  United Nations is concerned

  According to the UN, the Taliban are increasingly brutalizing critics of the regime. Radical Islamists are using sticks, whips and live ammunition to disperse peaceful protests, the United Nations Human Rights Office (UN) said. It is also reported that at least four demonstrators were killed.

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  How life changed in Afghanistan after the arrival of the Taliban

  Who supports the Taliban

  But there are also those in Afghanistan who are quite satisfied with the Taliban’s coming to power. The women in the photo went to the demonstration, accompanied by the Taliban, to declare their full agreement with the group’s policies. Taliban supporters do not support those women who fled the country, and claim that Sharia law fully ensures their safety.

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  How life changed in Afghanistan after the arrival of the Taliban

  Demonstrative support for the Taliban course

  Before the start of the demonstration in support of the Taliban, some of the participants were taken to a lecture hall at a university in Kabul. Journalists were officially invited to cover the action. This was in stark contrast to the Taliban’s hostility towards media representatives at protests.

  Author: Claudia Den, Marina Baranovskaya

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