Taliban failed to form "an inclusive political system": EU

The Taliban which seized power in Afghanistan a year ago and formed a new government, failed to form "an inclusive political system" and continue to violate human rights, the EU External Action Service (EEAS) said on Sunday.

The Taliban which seized power in Afghanistan a year ago and formed a new government, failed to form "an inclusive political system" and continue to violate human rights, the EU External Action Service (EEAS) said on Sunday. "One year ago, the Taliban broke their promises towards the Afghan people and the international community to negotiate a settlement to the decades-long Afghan conflict. Instead, they have overthrown the constitutionally-based Afghan government by force, and the Taliban have failed to establish an inclusive political system, thereby denying the aspirations of the Afghan people," the EEAS said in a statement.

The European Union pointed out that the Taliban infringe on woman's rights by denying girls access to secondary education, introducing obligatory clothing rules and restricting free movement, which isolates women from economic and public life. Mechanisms protecting women and children from violence and forced marriages were also dismantled, contributing to rising domestic violence, the EEAS noted.

The EU agency also blamed the radical movement for abusing ethnic and religious groups, including Hazaras and Shia people. "Violations and abuses include extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, ill-treatment, and intimidation. Freedom of opinion, expression, press, peaceful assembly and association are being violated," the statement said.

The EU added that it restored "minimal presence" in the country and ensures continued humanitarian support to the Afghan population in cooperation with international partners. The Taliban took over Afghanistan in August last year and imposed policies severely restricting basic rights--particularly those of women and girls.

The Taliban have carried out broad censorship, limiting critical reporting, and have detained and beaten journalists. They have carried out revenge killings and enforced disappearances of former government officials and security force personnel. They have summarily executed people deemed affiliated with the Islamic State. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan released a report last month outlining the human rights situation in Afghanistan over the 10 months since the Taliban takeover.

The report summarises UNAMA's findings with regards to the protection of civilians, extrajudicial killings, torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests and detentions, the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, fundamental freedoms and the situation in places of detention. The report also contains recommendations to both the de facto authorities and the international community. Despite an overall, significant reduction in armed violence, between mid-August 2021 and mid-June 2022, UNAMA recorded 2106 civilian casualties (700 killed, 1406 wounded).

According to the report, the majority of civilian casualties were attributed to targeted attacks by the armed group self-identified "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - Khorasan Province" against ethnic and religious minority communities in places where they go to school, worship and go about their daily lives. (ANI)

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