Human Rights Watch (HRW) in Afghanistan

Human Rights Watch (HRW.org); Ashley Wells, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist) Wisdom Quarterly

Education, Social restrictions, and justice in Afghan-held Afghanistan

I'm scared. - Why? These are our countrymen.

The United States and the Taliban signed an agreement on Feb. 29, 2020 outlining a phased withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban commitments not to allow attacks on the US or its allies from Afghan territory.

The troop withdrawal is expected to take place in parallel with negotiations between representatives from the Afghan government and other Afghan political groups and Taliban leaders aimed at achieving a political settlement after decades of armed conflict.

As negotiations advance, they will need to address concerns about protections of fundamental human rights, including:

• the rights of girls and women;
• education;
• freedom of expression and the media;
• due process of law guarantees;
• as well as ending attacks on civilians
• accountability for serious human rights abuses
• and [American and Afghan] war crimes.

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For this to happen, representatives from human rights and other civil society organizations, including women’s groups and victims’ representatives, must participate in the full range of discussions surrounding the intra-Afghan talks, including in plans for implementation following any agreement.

Although the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the laws enacted in the years since 2002 include many human rights protections, implementation has been poor, even in areas under government control.

While in power in Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Taliban’s rights record was characterized by systematic violations against women and girls; cruel corporal punishments, including executions; and extreme suppression of freedom of religion, expression, and education.

Since the US-led military defeat of the government in late 2001, the Taliban insurgency has not recognized the legitimacy of the Afghan government or the 2004 constitution. More