KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, says a comprehensive approach to accountability is needed to prevent the recurrence of human rights violations and abuses in Afghanistan.
Addressing the 57th Human Rights Council on Monday, September 9, Mr. Türk said a key factor underlying rights violations in Afghanistan has been the persistent lack of accountability over several decades.
“Generations of Afghans, under successive administrations, have been denied truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-recurrence for the suffering that has been inflicted on them,” the UN High Commissioner said.
“Accountability is a powerful deterrent to future violations,” he said, adding that to address the rapid decline of rights and freedoms across Afghanistan, a comprehensive approach to accountability involving both national and international actions is needed.
He said Afghanistan’s international obligations are non-negotiable and do not depend on who rules the country, urging the Taliban to take decisive steps in fulfilling Afghanistan’s commitments and complying with human rights laws.
The human rights situation in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan has continued to deteriorate over the past three years, with widespread violations committed by the regime, particularly against women and ethnic minorities.
The newly enacted so-called “morality law,” which took effect last month, has worsened the already dire situation for both men and women. The law silences women’s voices, prohibits eye contact with unrelated men, mandates full-body covering including the face, and imposes various other restrictions.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the Taliban’s repressive measures against women and girls are “unparalleled” in today’s world, amounting to systematic gender persecution and jeopardizing the country’s future.
“Afghanistan has enormous development potential. It can achieve prosperity, security, and justice for all. It can contribute productively to the international community.”
“It is essential that Afghanistan uphold the equality of women and men – and indeed, the rights of all people,” he emphasized.
He further said that his office will continue to engage with the Taliban to urge the regime to reverse its current oppressive policies and take meaningful steps to fulfill human rights.
Addressing the council, Sima Samar, the former head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, also linked the ongoing suffering of the Afghan people to the lack of accountability and justice for human rights violations.
“As an advocate for human rights in Afghanistan, I have observed that one of the reasons regimes change so frequently is the lack of political will to promote accountability and justice, perpetuating a culture of impunity,” she said.
She criticized the international community’s current approach toward Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, warning that normalizing human rights violations and impunity there will impact peace and security globally.
She asked the council members, “Do we all in this room believe in the universality and interconnectivity of human rights? If so, are the women and girls in Afghanistan not part of the global human body?”
“If yes, is it merely an internal matter? What is the role of these institutions? What is our message to the victims of injustice in Afghanistan and beyond?”
She concluded her speech by emphasizing that protecting human dignity is everyone’s responsibility, particularly that of the UN Human Rights Council, and added that the people and women in Afghanistan deserve to live with dignity.
“Once again, I insist that revenge is not justice. We all should stand for justice!”
