Reports

Afghanistan has been affected by widespread political, financial, and administrative corruption, leading to the breakdown of the political system and undermining trust between citizens and the government. Resources that were provided by the international community to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021 for the benefit of the Afghan people were misused by corrupt politicians, impeding the country’s progress and well-being. These corrupt politicians have shown a lack of respect for basic moral principles and have exploited the vulnerable population, including children, women, the elderly, and the families of martyrs.Recent investigations by global institutions and media have revealed corrupt political figures in Afghanistan and exposed their unlawful activities. In this open letter, civil society and human rights activists have raised several concerns:Firstly, finacial and administrative corruption is a significant factor contributing to human rights voilations, as the misappropriated resources belonged to deserving Afghan citizens. Corrupt officials, including high-ranking government officials, violated human rights by using their authority for personal gain. The international community is encouraged to include corruption cases in human rights investigations.Secondly, there must be no preferential treatment of corrupt individuals, as all key figures involved in corruption should be held accountable regardless of their political or social status. Collaboration with civil society and human rights activists is crucial for impartial investigations.Thirdly, global cooperation is essential to uphold the rule of law and pursue corruption suspects in Afghanistan. The United Nations is called upon to take action under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).Fourthly, corrupt individuals should not be allowed to seek refuge in friendly countries and their illicit assets should be investigated and frozen. Specific countries like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Central Asian Republics, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and India are mentioned in this regard.Lastly, illicit funds should be frozen until final court decisions are…

Recently, groups under the name of civil society and individuals as representatives of civil society have been engaged in negotiations and interactions with international institutions and de-facto administration, both inside and outside Afghanistan. These efforts have intensified specifically with the approach of the new round of United Nations meetings in Doha.Civil society, which acts as a bridge between the country’s citizens and national and international systems, has a series of accepted criteria that should never be deviated from. Human Rights Defenders Plus (HRD+) outlines the below criteria for civil society in important events concerning the future of Afghanistan as: Civil society is not a political institution and should not be used for the goals of political groups: Civil society can advocate on behalf of the country’s citizens for improving conditions within national and global political structures. Inclusion of civil society in any political misuse is contrary to the norms of this valuable institution. Civil society is a people-driven entity whose legitimacy comes from citizen formations: No institution should misuse this valuable legitimacy to support any political or economic interests of their group or individual. Institutions or representatives of civil society should have collective backing from other civil institutions and should attend events as a result of constructive negotiations and dialogues with other civil institutions. Civil society’s proposals in significant gatherings should be based on human rights values, particularly the rights of Afghan women: Women’s participation in all political, economic, social, and cultural matters should become a fundamental precondition for civil society. Women should be invited to important national and international events concerning Afghanistan without any discrimination, and their meaningful role in all affairs should be observed. The rule of law, a lawful modern national state, should be the most important principle in any agenda for civil society: Legitimacy is a prerequisite for effective…

Following the seizure of political power by the Taliban in Afghanistan, they began imposing restrictions on the civil and political freedoms of the Afghan people. Over time, these restrictions have expanded, depriving the country's citizens of their civil liberties. Recently, the Taliban's de facto administration has imposed more restrictions and constraints on free, political, and social media, labelling some of them as 'violating national interests.' These restrictions are specifically imposed on women, with some media outlets instructed not to publish women's voices (phone calls). Furthermore, the suppression of media freedom and freedom of expression not only severely limits citizens' right to access reliable information but also restricts media spaces, leading to widespread human rights violations and violence, while the lack of media oversight grants impunity to human rights violators. The irresponsible conduct of the Taliban is in opposition to all national and international values and laws, leaving the country's citizens deprived of their most fundamental human rights. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights recognize media freedom and freedom of expression as the most important human rights principles for human society and obligate the international community to uphold them. We strongly urge the Human Rights Committee, the monitoring body of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of the United Nations, to consider legal and political assessments and to seek more rigorous mechanisms to uphold civil freedoms in Afghanistan. We specifically draw the attention of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan to reflect on these restrictions. We call upon Mr. Richard Bennett to coordinate with relevant UN bodies and other regional and international institutions to mitigate these violations. We call upon all civil institutions inside and outside the country…

As a committed institution to women's rights equality, the Human Rights Defender Plus (HRD+) commemorates International Women's Day on March 8th and draws attention to the painful reality of women's lives in Afghanistan. Afghan women have been enduring the worst and most challenging times of their lives due to the spread and increase of poverty, unemployment, despair, uncertainty, lack of social security, and continuous violations of civil and political rights over the past two and a half years. Now that women and their rights are at the center of attention on this important day in the global calendar, the HRD+ presents the following demands:HRD+ urges the international community to include the issue of women's rights as a precondition or at least one of the fundamental issues on their agenda in negotiations regarding Afghanistan.Our demand from the world is to officially recognize gender apartheid as a crimes against humanity. This will lead to the creation and strengthening of effective mechanisms in international law to combat systematic discrimination against women worldwide, including Afghan women.HRD+ calls on monitoring bodies for human rights conventions to pay more attention to the situation of Afghan women than ever before and provide clear and firm recommendations to the international community in this regard.HRD+ urges the UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan to search for solutions to inspect and monitor prisons and detention facilities for women in Afghanistan and thereby strive to eliminate or reduce repeated torture and mistreatment against women activists.HRD+ asks all civil institutions, human rights activists, intellectuals, informed personalities, and artists to raise the voices of women for freedom and equality, which, despite the suffocating situation, are still heard in Kabul and provinces, and to support this courageous advocacy.HRD+ insists that national and international media strenuously strengthen the position of women in their current…

Worldwide, the increasing use of hate speech is posing challenges to inclusive democratic participation as well as access to critical rights, such as freedom from discrimination and violence. Recognizing the need to engage civil society, media and other electoral stakeholders in countering hate speech in Afghanistan, this toolkit serves as a resource guide for how to effectively counter hate speech while protecting the right to freedom of speech and protection. The toolkit contains an introduction to international principles as well as domestic legislation related to countering hate speech; global best practice examples; and practical strategies and steps for countering hate speech in country. Click to download pdf More Interviews: Civil Society Report on Implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities February 20, 2017 Annual Report National Unity Government’s Reconciliation with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar The prospects for peace, justice and human rights in Afghanistan Civil Society and Human Rights Network Afghanistan November 26, 2016 Reports The 8th General Assembly of CSHRN February 18, 2015 Annual Report CSHRN UPR Report 2014 February 17, 2015 Annual Report 1 2 3 4 … 11 Next

Context Peace talks with the Taliban and other insurgent groups who are fighting the Afghan government, has been the essential part of Afghan government policy since 2001. Despite the efforts of nearly one a half decades and many political and financial investment for peace process, violent conflict has been intensified leaving enormous military and civilian casualties. Issue of peace talk with the Taliban is frequently raised in winter (No-war season) by media, but without tangible results, another war season arrives and the Taliban continue to fight Afghan government and people with more power and casualties. In spite of more than a decade of efforts to reconcile with the Taliban and reach sustainable peace, it seems no tangible result and even no positive prospect for peace and stability. However, National Unity Government (NUG) signed a peace agreement with Mr. Hekmatyar recently which apparently signals a practical step towards peace process and reconciliation. Despite having wide media coverage, it has indicate less concerns neither about victims of conflict nor views of Afghan civil society and human rights peace activists. The recent peace agreement and extra order of president to implement it along with comparing to the Afghan government’s international human rights commitments and obligations have raised questions, concerns and arguments for civil society, human rights organizations and also the victims of human rights violation. Therefore, Afghan civil society organizations and human rights activist want to discuss and open up a dialogue on issues related to the recent peace agreement. The international human commitments of Afghan government in one hand and negligence of the victim’s rights in recent peace agreement, women’s participation in the peace process, prospects for national reconciliation and peace in the country as well as the consequences of political, security and negligence of human rights values in the…