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UN report claims Afghanistan’s morality police are violating human rights

According to the report, the ministry has enforced decrees that have a disproportionate impact on women and girls, like dress codes, segregated education and employment, and having a male guardian when they travel.

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The UN said Tuesday the ministry for the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice were violating human rights and fundamental freedoms and that decrees and methods used to enforce rules were contributing to “a climate of fear and intimidation among segments” of society in Afghanistan.

The report, titled ‘De Facto Authorities’ Moral Oversight in Afghanistan: Impacts on Human Rights’ was published Tuesday and also contained the Islamic Emirate’s response to the UN’s findings.

The report stated: “As part of this engagement, Afghanistan’s de facto authorities were invited to provide factual comments on the content of the report.”

According to the report, the ministry has enforced decrees that have a disproportionate impact on women and girls, like dress codes, segregated education and employment, and having a male guardian when they travel.

“The punishments attached to non-compliance with instructions and decrees are often arbitrary, severe and disproportionate,” the report read.

“Sweeping bans with a discriminatory effect on women have been introduced. Human rights violations, as well as the unpredictability of enforcement measures, contribute to a climate of fear and intimidation among segments of the population,” the report stated.

UNAMA said it had recorded at least 1,033 instances between August 2021 and March 2024 where ministry employees “applied force during the implementation of instructions, resulting in violations of the liberty, and physical and mental integrity” of people.

The IEA responded by saying the decrees issued by the supreme leader lay “the foundation of the formal documents that are based on Islamic sources. It is a widely recognized principle in all common regimes that decrees and relevant legal documents are issued to reform society and should have their implementation ensured.”

UNAMA also stated that the use of corporal punishment was a violation of the prohibition on torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.

The organization added that the requirement for women to travel with a mahram (male guardian) beyond 78 kilometers from their home limits their right to freedom of movement and creates financial and logistical barriers for them to access employment and healthcare.

In response to this, the Islamic Emirate said the presence of mahram with a woman “is not only an Islamic value; it is also a cultural value.”

“A woman encounters criticism from the general public when she travels without a mahram. It is frowned upon in Afghan society for women to travel without a mahram.”

The IEA added that Islam also “specifies a certain distance for a woman to be accompanied by a mahram when she travels. To this end, the mahram's presence with a woman serves to safeguard her honor and chastity.”

The report meanwhile stated that since the ministry’s establishment, its scope of responsibility has continued to expand. “In addition to intensifying monitoring of compliance with existing policies, it has introduced new instructions and expanded into new areas of enforcement,” UNAMA stated.

These areas include monitoring of the media, the eradication of drug addiction, policing of gold dealers, regulating businesses and dispute mediation between individuals, among others.

The Islamic Emirate in turn said “acts are seen as either legal or illegal,” and that the ministry was a key organization within the Islamic Emirate’s governing framework and that its “role is growing as required by the situation”.

However, Fiona Frazer, the head of UNAMA’s Human Rights Service said: “Given the multiple issues outlined in the report, the position expressed by the de facto authorities that this oversight will be increasing and expanding gives cause for significant concern for all Afghans, especially women and girls.”

Overall, the ministry rejected the UN report, calling its findings false and contradictory.

“Decrees and relevant legal documents are issued to reform society and should have their implementation ensured,” the ministry said.

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IFRC reports over half of Afghanistan’s population needs urgent humanitarian aid

Afghanistan ranks among the most vulnerable countries globally to climate change and disaster risks

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The International Federation of Red Crescent (IFRC) has reported that Afghanistan continues to face prolonged and complex humanitarian crises.

IFRC said in a report published on Tuesday, that about 23.7 million people, more than half of Afghanistan’s population, are in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

According to the IFRC, natural disasters, the growing impact of climate change, population displacement, economic challenges, and food insecurity are the main factors contributing to Afghanistan’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Afghanistan ranks among the most vulnerable countries globally to climate change and disaster risks. 

The country is also prone to earthquakes, with nearly 400 tremors recorded in the last three years, including significant quakes, such as the 6.3 magnitude in Herat Province in October last year.

The compounding effects of disasters in the country have exacerbated the already fragile situation in Afghanistan, the IFRC’s report read. 

These successive disasters have pushed more Afghans into poverty and heightened their vulnerability. 

In addition, Afghanistan’s economic crisis is widespread, with more than half of households experiencing an economic shock. 

The country’s economy is heavily dependent on foreign aid and remittances, which have declined significantly since the political change in 2021. 

This has resulted in high levels of unemployment, challenging people’s coping mechanisms and thwarting the already fragile economy’s ability to adapt to shocks, the report read.

The IFRC said more than 85 percent of the country’s population is now living below the poverty line.

 

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Maldives recalls envoy to Pakistan over meeting with Afghanistan envoy

The island nation’s foreign ministry said the much publicized meeting had not been sanctioned by the government

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The Maldives government has recalled its top diplomat in Pakistan after he had an unauthorized meeting with an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan envoy in Islamabad. 

The island nation’s foreign ministry said the much publicized meeting between the Maldives High Commissioner Mohamed Thoha and IEA envoy Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb on Friday had not been sanctioned by the government.

Maldives media reported that the foreign ministry stated: “Consequently, appropriate action has been taken by the government of Maldives.” 

Thoha’s name has also been removed from the website of the Maldives mission in Islamabad, and an official source told AFP that he had been recalled.

Since regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, no country has yet officially recognized the government.

However, the IEA has been making inroads into the diplomatic arena and has official missions now stationed in a number of regional countries. 

 

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Afghanistan exported more than 2,500 tons of pine nuts in 1402

Afghan pine nut is mostly exported to China, India, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

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The Ministry of Industry and Commerce says that in the past solar year (1402) more than 2,500 tons of pine nuts worth $27 million were exported to neighboring countries and beyond.

Afghan pine nut is mostly exported to China, India, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

“The total weight of black pine nut exports during 1402 was 2,523 tons and the value was $27 million, mostly to China, India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United States, Britain, Australia, the Netherlands, and other countries,” said Abdul Salam Javad Akhundzada, the spokesman of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

Officials in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock say that since last year, pine nut production has increased in the country and they have also expanded artificial forests to harvest more pine nuts.

“In order to revive pine nut forests, according to last year's development budget, pine trees have been planted on approximately 1,500 hectares of land.
There used to be pine trees on these lands, but they were cut down or destroyed in a fire,” said Misbahuddin Mustain, the spokesperson of the Ministries of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock.

Experts say that currently China buys most of Afghanistan's pint nuts, but the government must find new markets so that it can be sold at a better price.

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