The US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls and Human Rights, Rina Amiri, has been condemned by some for her statement following her two-day meeting, as part of US delegation, with Taliban representatives in Doha.
Amiri said in a statement on Twitter on Monday:
“Having been urged extensively by Afghans and human rights defenders on the need to directly engage the Taliban on human rights, particularly the extreme restrictions on women and girls.
“We called for the removal of restrictions on women and girls, including access to education and work; release of detainees; and end to corporal punishment, and crackdowns on media and freedom of expression.”
However, Amiri’s remarks on direct engagement with the Taliban have faced a backlash from many.
“We don’t want to engage with the Taliban”
Homeira Qaderi, author and human rights advocate, accused Amiri of manipulating the wishes of human rights defenders.
Zubaida Akbar, a human rights advocate, raised similar concerns:
Samira Hamidi, a campaigner for Amnesty International, protested against Amiri’s remarks:
Saleem Javed, a human/minority rights advocate, accused Amiri of cozying up to the Taliban.
Parwana Ibrahimkhail Nijrabi, a women’s rights advocate who was detained by and assaulted in Taliban custody, called on Amiri not to listen to people who support the Taliban.
Sitarah Mohammadi, the spokeswoman for the World Hazara Council, urged for respecting the struggles of women.
Nazifa Haqpal, a Ph.D. candidate at the SOAS University of London, claimed that despite US engagement, the Taliban remains unbending. She tweeted,
Sahraa Karimi, a filmmaker and former head of Afghan Film, called on Amiri to resign.
The US State Department has said that the US delegation, headed by its Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, discussed “critical interests” and “confidence building in support of the Afghan people”.
The Taliban delegation, headed by the group’s Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, called for “practical steps” on “removing blacklists & lifting sanctions”.
