Status: 08/24/2021 5:35 p.m.
The Taliban want the evacuation mission to end on August 31 and are already preventing their own population from accessing the airport. The UN reports serious human rights violations in the country – including executions.
Taliban spokesman Sabihullah Mujahid announced at a press conference broadcast by the BBC that Afghans would no longer be allowed into the airport. “We will not allow them to leave the country.”
Mujahid accused the USA of persuading well-educated Afghans to leave the country. He called on the population to stay. The country needs well-trained doctors and engineers to rebuild, he said.
Furthermore against extension of the rescue mission
He confirmed that the evacuation operation of international troops at Kabul airport must end in the next few days. The agreed deadline expires on August 31. “We want all foreigners to be evacuated by August 31st.” An extension violates the agreements. However, the Mujahid did not issue threats in the event that the US or other countries did not complete their evacuations by the end of August.
The Taliban also wanted to reduce the crowd at the airport, it said. There are too many people there, they could lose their lives. People should return to their homes and go about their daily lives.
As he did a week ago, the spokesman for the radical Islamic group made extensive security promises to the population. International organizations could continue to work and women would be allowed to go about their work once the security situation has eased. No one is being followed and there is no list, said Mujahid.
He was referring to reports that the Islamists are systematically looking for opponents and their relatives and threatening them.
UN reports on serious human rights violations
Serious violations of human rights are currently being reported from the crisis state. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, reported on this at a special session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
According to these reports, there were mass executions of civilians and former members of the Afghan security forces. Bachelet also said that women’s freedom of movement had been restricted in some regions, and that some girls were no longer allowed to go to school. Peaceful protests are suppressed and minors are brought to armed forces.
“Credible Reports”
The reports are credible, she stressed. “There are grave risks for women, journalists and the new generation of leading figures in civil society who have emerged in recent years,” said Bachelet. “Afghanistan’s diverse ethnic and religious minorities are also at risk of violence and repression, given the serious human rights violations under the Taliban in the past and reports of killings and targeted attacks in recent months.”
UN Human Rights Council deals with alleged mass executions in Afghanistan
Ramin Sina, SWR, daily news 2 p.m., 8/24/2021
The UN Human Rights Council regularly deals with the human rights situation around the world and convenes special meetings if necessary. It can pass a resolution or set up investigative commissions. It consists of 47 countries, each of which is appointed by the UN General Assembly for a three-year term. Germany is currently among them.
Human Rights Watch: Provincial Executions
The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims to have received reports of “civil executions” by the Taliban. The alleged victims are former Afghan government officials and security forces, said Vice Director for HRW in Asia, Patricia Gossman. Many of these incidents were found to take place outside the capital, Kabul, in the Afghan provinces. After taking power, the Taliban had actually promised a general amnesty.
Geneva: UN Human Rights Council ahead of Afghanistan meeting
Pascal Fournier, ARD Geneva, 8/24/2021 11:37 a.m.