CABUL: Authorities in Taliban on Tuesday said they had dismissed an independent human rights commission in Afghanistan as “not considered necessary”.
Since the Taliban took power last August, they have shut down Afghan defense organizations, including the electoral commission and the women’s affairs service.
“We have other human rights organizations, organizations linked to the judiciary,” deputy government spokesman Inamullah Samangani told AFP, without elaborating.
The work of the rights commission, which includes the registration of civilian casualties in Afghanistan’s 12-year war, was suspended when the Taliban ousted a US-backed government last year and senior party officials fled the country.
The National Security Council and the Peace Coalition were also closed over the weekend as the government announced its first annual budget.
“These branches are not considered necessary, they are dissolved. But in the future if they are needed they can start working again, ”said Samanga.
The Taliban is facing a budget deficit of about $ 44 billion afghanis (about $ 500 billion) in a country that is completely dependent on foreign aid.
Heather Barr, who liaises with the director of women’s rights at Human Rights Watch, said it was shocking to see Afghanistan go backwards in its closure.
“It was very important to have a place to go, to ask for help and to seek justice,” he said on Twitter.
The Taliban had previously promised a softer policy than their first administration from 1996 to 2001, but they have gradually destroyed the freedoms of many Afghan people, especially women, who face barriers to education, employment and clothing.
Published Parhlo, May 18, 2022
