Amnesty International says that more than 354,000 people globally have signed a petition urging the Taliban authorities to respect and protect human rights in Afghanistan.
In a statement on Friday, the international rights group emphasized that, given the ongoing catastrophic human rights situation in Afghanistan, everyone must demand accountability and justice in the country.
“In a powerful show of global solidarity, 354,847 signatures have been collected calling on the Taliban de-facto authorities to respect and protect human rights in Afghanistan,” the rights group said.
The rights group has also encouraged people to sign the petition and hold the Taliban accountable, something the group has shown little or no sign of since overtaking power nearly three years ago.
“As the catastrophic human rights situation persists, we must continue our joint demand for accountability and justice in Afghanistan,” it added.
The human rights situation in Afghanistan has continued to deteriorate over the past three years, with widespread human rights violations committed by the Taliban, particularly against women and ethnic minorities.
Afghanistan remains the only country where women and girls are prohibited from attending school beyond sixth grade and university, and are banned from working in most sectors, including in UN agencies.
Moreover, thousands of Afghans have been arbitrarily detained, tortured, disappeared, and even killed. Journalists, activists, human rights defenders, artists, academics, and religious and ethnic minorities are especially at risk.
In a report submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council last February, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett stated that since the Taliban’s return to power, the condition of human rights in Afghanistan has continued to deteriorate.
Mr. Bennett urged the international community to avoid normalizing or legitimizing the Taliban until there are consistent, measurable, and verified improvements in the human rights situation. He emphasized that the human rights of the Afghan people are as important as those in any other country and should not be neglected.
On the other hand, the Taliban’s human rights violations, particularly their restrictions on women’s rights, are among the factors that have influenced donors’ decisions to cut aid, leading to an alarming funding shortfall.
The UN has requested $3.01 billion in humanitarian funding for Afghanistan for 2024, but to date, it has received less than 23% of the requested amount.
