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EU Parliament worried about ‘eruption of violence’ in Afghanistan
The EU has condemned targeted killings of journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society representatives and continuous violence in Afghanistan and called for an immediate ceasefire.
In a statement issued on Friday, the European Parliament called for a ceasefire and for parties to the conflict to continue the peace process in order to preserve the fundamental rights and principles in a future Afghanistan.
The statement comes days after three female media workers were assassinated in eastern Nangarhar province.
Chair of the Delegation for relations with Afghanistan Petras Austrevicius stated: “During the last months, we have seen an eruption of violence. It is very worrisome that this violence targets systematically those who contribute to an open and free society and who ensure the freedom of speech and media. Women are very often victims of these targeted attacks.”
“On behalf of the European Parliament, we condemn in the strongest terms the targeted assassinations of journalists, human rights defenders and civil society representatives,” Austrevicius said.
The European Parliament also called on the Afghan government to conduct thorough and transparent investigations and hold those responsible for the terrorist attacks accountable.
“The European Parliament urges all sides to stop the violence and put in place an immediate and permanent ceasefire. We call all sides to continue the peace negotiations,” he stated.
“The European Parliament insists that whatever the outcome of peace negotiations will be, a future constitution must guarantee the fundamental rights and principles of a free and open society, built upon the political, economic and social achievements of the people of Afghanistan,” the statement read.
Negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban have taken place since 12 September 2020 in Doha, the capital of Qatar to try to reach a peace agreement.
The EU stated that since then, the situation for civil society in the country has been rapidly deteriorating with at least fourteen targeted killings of journalists and human rights defenders by unidentified armed individuals or by explosive devices.
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Wednesday that the Islamic Emirate is committed to freedom of media and their activities within the framework of Islamic principles.
In his meeting with officials from several media outlets and supporting organizations, Mujahid stressed the need for increased cooperation between government institutions and the media.
He said that the IEA is working to create a better environment for media activities in the country.
The Government Media and Information Center reported that media officials shared some existing issues regarding access to information with the spokesperson of the IEA and requested solutions to these challenges.
Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said Wednesday that the Islamic Emirate prioritizes poverty reduction and job opportunities.
Addressing the National Conference on Microfinance Opportunities and Challenge”, Baradar stated that beneficiaries of microfinance initiatives include needy Afghans, traders, and small business owners, and that working with these groups is a shared goal of the IEA and the international community.
Participants at the conference included members of the cabinet, representatives from the UN, the EU, the World Bank country director to Afghanistan, ambassadors to Kabul, officials from international and domestic organizations, and a number of investors and businesspeople.
The Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology said on Wednesday that the costs of data, phone calls and internet packages will be cut by between 14 and 36 percent by all service providers.
Najibullah Haqqani, the acting minister, said at a press conference that a one-minute phone call between the same network will cost 1.30 afghanis, and between different networks it will cost 1.40 afghanis per minute, down from 1.85.
One GB of data, valid for a month, will be set at 95 afghanis, down from 110 afghanis. This is a 14% drop in price, he said.
He also said text messages between subscribers on the same network will cost 1.30 afghanis per message.
Haqqani also stated that 800 new mobile phone sites, including towers, have been established in remote areas and 1,000 inactive sites have been reactivated.
In addition, Afghanistan Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (ATRA) said of the 26 million SIM cards in use, 14 million have been registered under the new administration.
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