Afghan officials affiliated with the fundamentalist Taliban group said today they dissolved the country’s independent human rights commission “because they did not see it necessary”.
Since this group came back to power last August, various institutions protecting Afghans’ freedoms, such as the Election Commission and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, have been shut down.
“We have a few other organizations that will carry out human rights-related activities, organizations affiliated with the judiciary,” Inamula Samangani, deputy government spokesperson, told AFP.
The commission’s work, which included documenting civilian casualties in the two decades of war in Afghanistan, came to a halt when the Taliban overthrew the US-backed government and its leaders fled the country.
The National Security Council and a peace-promoting reconciliation council were also shut down over the weekend when the government announced its first annual budget.
“These departments were abolished because they were not deemed necessary. However, if necessary, their activities can be continued in the future,” said Samangani.
The Taliban face a fiscal deficit of around 44 billion Afghans (about R$2.5 billion).
Returning to power, they initially promised a more moderate government than the first regime from 1996 to 2001.
However, the group has eroded the freedoms of many Afghans, especially women, who are facing increasing restrictions on education, work and clothing.
source: Noticias
