Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine is capturing much of the world’s attention, but Central Asia is more concerned about what’s happening south of the border in Afghanistan. There are several militant groups in northern Afghanistan who hope to topple the Tajik and Uzbek governments. Some of these groups are allies of the Taliban, whereas others are not. Click here for more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – May 28, 2023
5.2 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Afghanistan
Khaama: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 jolted the Faizabad district of Badakhshan province of Afghanistan on Sunday morning. The quake’s epicentre was 36 Km southeast of the Jurm district of Badakhshan, and the tremors were felt across the region, including Pakistan, India, and Southern Tajikistan, Indian National Center for Seismology reported. So far, no causalities have been reported due to the earthquake. Click here to read more (external link).
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Two die of Congo fever in Balkh Central Hospital
Ariana: Two patients died of Congo fever in Abu Ali Sinai Balkhi Hospital in Mazar-e-Sharif city, health officials said. Reports of an outbreak of Congo fever have been recorded in a number of provinces in the north of the country. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Health News
Kabul Residents Say Armed Robberies Are Increasing
Taliban militant (file photo)
Tolo News: Some Kabul residents criticized the surge in armed robberies in parts of the capital by irresponsible armed individuals. They asked the Islamic Emirate [Taliban] to make an effort to ensure the security of the people. Click here to read more (external link).
Khalilzad Speaks for the Taliban
Zalmay Khalilzad
8am: The Doha peace agreement, which was the result of Zalmay Khalilzad’s efforts as the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, was signed between the United States and the Taliban. This agreement led to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the fall of the previous government, and the reinstatement of the Taliban. Recently, Khalilzad has expressed his opinion on the disputes between the Taliban and Iran, stating that the Taliban have acted with restraint and statesmanship in regards to Iran’s claim from the Helmand River. He is known for tweeting to support the actions of the Taliban, and this is not the first time he has done so. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – May 27, 2023
At Least Three Killed in Afghanistan-Iran Border Clash
Khaama: At least two Iranian border guards and one Taliban security force have been killed after clashes between Taliban and Iranian forces at the border crossing point, according to a Taliban spokesperson and Iranian state media on Saturday. The incident, which also resulted in several injuries, occurred amid tensions between the two countries over water rights, although the exact cause was not immediately known. Click here to read more (external link).
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2 Deaths From Congo-Crimea Haemorrhagic Fever Reported in North
Tolo News: The health department of Balkh province reported that in the past week 10 positive cases of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) have been recorded in north region of the country, and two people have died. Local Balkh officials said that incidents of this illness were rising in the country’s north, and they urged religious leaders and the media to warn people about the dangers associated with the disease’s spread. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Health News
Rights Groups Call for Probe of Taliban Restrictions on Women
Protest against Taliban (file photo)
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
May 26, 2023
A new legal assessment says the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan “amount to the crime against humanity of gender persecution” and should be investigated under international law, according to two human rights groups.
Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) released their joint 62-page report on Friday, saying the Taliban have stripped women and girls of their “basic rights and freedom” since retaking control of the country nearly two years ago.
The document urges International Criminal Court prosecutors to include the “egregious human rights violations” in their ongoing investigation into the situation in conflict-ridden Afghanistan.
“Let there be no doubt: this is a war against women — banned from public life; prevented from accessing education; prohibited from working; barred from moving freely; imprisoned, disappeared, and tortured, including for speaking against these policies and resisting the repression, said Agnès Callamard, the secretary general at Amnesty International.
She said the “organized, widespread and systemic” Taliban curbs against women are “international crimes.”
The fundamentalist former insurgent group seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, when U.S.-led Western troops terminated their involvement in the war with the Taliban and departed the country after almost two decades.
The de facto Afghan authorities have since imposed sweeping edicts and regulations on women, excluding them from most public sectors and political roles and barring girls from receiving an education beyond primary school.
Friday’s joint assessment lamented that the Taliban had turned Afghan females into “second-class citizens.” They have arbitrarily arrested women for so-called “moral crimes” and for their participation in peaceful demonstrations against the curbs, it noted.
“The Taliban’s campaign of gender persecution is of such magnitude, gravity and systematic nature that, cumulatively, the acts and policies form a system of repression which aims to subjugate and marginalize women and girls across the country,” said ICJ Secretary General Santiago Canton.
The report also urged other states to exercise universal jurisdiction or other lawful means to bring to justice Taliban members suspected of responsibility for crimes under international law.
“This should send a clear message to Taliban leaders and members that their discriminatory policies against women and girls are not and never will be tolerated.”
The two top global organizations called on Taliban authorities to remove the ban on girls’ education beyond primary school and allow women working for the government and elsewhere to return to work.
The Taliban have yet to immediately comment on the assessment.
The international community has not formally recognized the Taliban as the official government, mainly because of human rights concerns and the treatment of women.
The Taliban defend their governance as aligned with Afghan culture and Sharia, or Islamic law, ruling out any compromise.
The United Nations and other aid groups say that the restrictions on their Afghan female staff have undermined their work in a country where 28 million people are in urgent need of assistance.
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