After the Taliban pledged general amnesty for those who worked for the previous Afghan government and freedom for women to work, the United Nations on Tuesday said the actions of the insurgents will be scrutinised closely. UN human rights office spokesperson Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva that given the past history of the Taliban, such promises have been greeted with scepticism.
“Nevertheless, the promises have been made, and whether or not they are honoured or broken will be closely scrutinized,” the spokesperson said.
The Taliban have made a slew of promises to calm the nerves as thousands of Afghans thronged Kabul airport in a desperate attempt to flee the war-torn country now under the control of Islamist fundamentalists. They have issued statements promising a new era of peace in Afghanistan after decades of war.
Colville drew attention to the “chilling reports” of human rights abuses and restrictions on the rights of women and girls in some parts of Afghanistan captured by the Taliban over the past few weeks. He said that such reports continue to emerge but they are not in a position to verify the allegations since the flow of information has been considerably disrupted.
Colville said that the Taliban have an obligation to protect civilians and to uphold human rights. Highlighting the hard-won gains on the human rights front over the past two decades in Afghanistan, he stressed that the Talian must respect and protect both international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
“We call on the international community to extend all possible support to those who may be at imminent risk, and we call on the Taliban to demonstrate through their actions, not just their words, that the fears for the safety of so many people from so many different walks of life are addressed,” the spokesperson added.