The United Nations: Taliban’s treatment of women amounts to crimes against humanity

A team of experts from the United Nations announced that Taliban’s treatment of women may amount to crimes against humanity and must be investigated and held accountable under international law.

The United Nations experts said, in a statement, that Taliban’s latest actions against women and girls have deepened the existing human rights violations – which are “the most cruel and brutal in the world” – and may amount to persecution on the basis of gender, which is a crime against humanity.

The statement of the UN-appointed experts came after confirmation by Taliban that three women were among 12 people who were flogged last Wednesday, in front of hundreds of spectators at a local sports stadium.

The statement added, “We are deeply concerned about such actions that aim to push men and boys to punish women and girls who resist Taliban’s attempt to eliminate them, which increases the deprivation of their rights and normalizes violence against them.”

The statement also urged the terrorist movement to restore respect for the rights and freedoms of women, release detained activists, and re-allow access to schools and public places.

The panel of experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council includes Richard Bennett, Special Coordinator on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan and Farida Shahid, Special Coordinator for the Right to Education.