Lisa Schlein VOA News April 7, 2021 GENEVA – The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) reports it is covering the cost of health insurance for an additional 20,000 Afghan refugees in Iran. This boosts the number of refugees to 120,000 who will be able to access medical care for COVID-19 and other illnesses under Iran’s national
Margaret Besheer VOA News March 23, 2021 The U.N.’s top diplomat in Afghanistan sought to lower expectations of a quick peace deal between the Afghan government and Taliban, saying Tuesday that peace is possible, but it will not come immediately, as “genuine and profound differences” exist between the two sides. “Afghans and their international partners
Radio Free Afghanistan February 23, 2021 Peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government have resumed in Qatar after a delay of more than a month amid escalating violence in the war-wracked country as the United Nations called again for an immediate cease-fire to curb civilian casualties. Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem tweeted late on
By Radio Free Afghanistan February 15, 2021 The United Nations said at least 65 journalists and human rights activists have been killed in Afghanistan in the past three years in a series of targeted killings. The UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan said in a report released on February 15 that the number includes 32 human rights defenders and
Lisa Schlein VOA News February 6, 2021 GENEVA – A report by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights finds torture, which is prohibited under international law, is widely practiced in Afghan prisons. The report covers the period from January 2019 through March 2020. The
Ariana: Allegations by detainees of torture in Afghan detention facilities continue at high rates with the procedural rights of those detained largely ignored, UNAMA stated in its latest bi-annual ‘Torture Report’ released on Wednesday. UNAMA stated that torture and ill-treatment, prohibited under both Afghan and international law, persist in the facilities of government agencies in
Ariana: Kai Eide, former head of UNAMA has pointed a finger at Afghanistan’s leaders and said there is little unity among them and that hostile statements made could undermine the peace process. Referring specifically to the first vice president, Eide said: “I see Amrullah Saleh, the vice president, constantly (making) what I would call rather
Ariana: Afghan Miniature artists have urged the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to include Afghanistan in its Persian Miniature cultural heritage listings alongside other countries in the region. This comes after UNESCO’s Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee last week listed Persian Miniature as intangible heritage of Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan
Ayaz Gul VOA News December 23, 2020 ISLAMABAD – Officials in Afghanistan say gunmen Wednesday killed the head of an independent elections watchdog in Kabul, the latest casualty in a string of mostly unclaimed recent attacks against prominent civilians. The violence has claimed the lives of dozens of people, particularly in the Afghan capital. The
Ayaz Gul VOA News December 19, 2020 ISLAMABAD – UNICEF has struck a rare agreement with the Taliban in war-ravaged Afghanistan to establish thousands of informal schools in areas controlled by the Islamist insurgent group. The program will reach up to 140,000 Afghan boys and girls, said Sam Mort, the agency’s chief of communications, advocacy