The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), in exile, in a statement released on Thursday, demanded that the discussion of Taliban recognition should not include the agenda of the upcoming Doha meeting.
AIHRC has emphasized that any attempt to recognize the Taliban is unacceptable, given their history of human rights violations and conflict with democratic principles, “If any kind of violations is observed, and if accepted human rights values and standards are involved, the AIHRC will react and be the voice of the forgotten citizens of the country.”
The AIHRC urged the United Nations to prioritize the basic rights of the citizens of Afghanistan, especially those of women and marginalized ethnic and religious groups, in the main agenda of the Doha meeting.
“No political or strategic reasons should be the justification for limitation the human rights of Afghan citizens. If human rights fall from their original position in these negotiations and discussions, the UN will deviate from its basic principles and will cause the UN to lose dignity and prestige at the national and international level.” AIHRC stated.
Moreover, the AIHRC has suggested that national and international human rights monitoring institutions participate in the meeting to convey critical messages about the human rights situation in Afghanistan.
The human rights commission has also called for transparency and free media accessibility to information related to the meeting, pressing that no decision should be initiated and adopted behind closed doors.
The Doha meeting with the presence of special envoys of countries on Afghanistan affairs, hosted by the UN Secretary-General, is scheduled to take place on May 1 for two days in Qatar. According to the UN, the meeting aims to find a unified approach to dealing with the Taliban in Afghanistan and to prevent instability in the country.
