UN experts call for investigation into suppression of women’s rights in Afghanistan

UN experts have demanded an investigation into the suppression of women’s rights in Afghanistan as a form of gender persecution as the situation of women in Afghanistan has been deteriorating with every passing day due to Taliban’s suppression of basic rights of Afghan women, and girls in the country, Khaama Press reported on Sunday.

According to the UN Special Rapporteurs, women’s rights activists have been increasingly targeted, beaten, and detained in recent months, citing activist Zarifa Yaquobi as an example, who is still incarcerated in an unknown location.

The experts urged the international community to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of gender-based violence in “relevant international and extraterritorial jurisdictions,” while simultaneously working to restore women’s rights in Afghanistan.

Following Afghanistan’s political turmoil and the installation of the new administration, the authorities pledged to protect women’s rights, but eventually reversed their position and began implementing harsh rules against them, Khaama Press reported.

Since seizing control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban has been the country’s de facto authority. Despite initial public commitments to uphold the rights of women and girls, the Taliban introduced policies of systematic discrimination that violate their rights such as education.