UN official calls for genuine investigation into Panjshir crimes by Taliban

Kabul [Afghanistan], September 20 (ANI): UN special rapporteur for Afghan Human Rights, Richard Bennett, called out the Taliban to conduct the investigations amid reports of extra-judicial killings in Panjshir in a genuine manner and as per international standards.
“Noting Department of Foreign Affairs, MoD, has opened an investigation into reports of extra-judicial killings in Panjshir, I remind Taliban that they bear responsibility for the actions of their forces,” Bennett said in a tweet, TOLOnews reported.
However, the local officials in Panshir said that a serious investigation is underway.
“The Ministry of Defense and the provincial governor’s office started a serious investigation into this to find out the time of the videos because the fighting happened in several areas. Sometimes the videos are misused,” said Nasrullah Malikzada, head of the Panjshir department of culture.
Earlier, the Ministry of Defense said it would investigate footage on social media about the killing of detainees, as per the Khaama Press and stated that the perpetrators would be brought to justice if it is proven that the footage is original and the incident took place in Panjshir, TOLOnews reported.
Several reports have been published about the clashes between the Islamic Emirate forces and Resistant Front fighters–with both sides claiming to be inflicting casualties on each other.
Earlier also, UN experts cautioned that Afghanistan’s future is “bleak” if more is not done to improve the deteriorating human rights situation, especially for women and girls.
Since they took control of the country in August 2021, the Taliban have violated women’s and girls’ rights to education, work, and free movement and decimated the system of protection and support for those fleeing domestic violence. The group has also detained women and girls for minor violations of discriminatory rules and contributed to a surge in the rates of child, early and forced marriage in Afghanistan.
Various rights group is calling on the Taliban to implement major policy changes and measures to uphold the rights of women and girls.
Since seizing control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban has been the country’s de facto authority.
Despite initial public commitments to uphold the rights of women and girls, the Taliban introduced policies of systematic discrimination that violate their rights. Women and girls across Afghanistan reacted to this crackdown with a wave of protests. In response, the Taliban targeted protesters with harassment and abuse, arbitrary arrest and detention, enforced disappearance, and physical and psychological torture. (ANI)