RASC News Agency: A group of Afghanistani women’s rights activists and civil society members staged a protest in Islamabad on Saturday, June 29, boycotting the third Doha meeting. In a resolution, these protesting activists warned the United Nations and country representatives that engaging with the Taliban equates to “trading away human values and human rights.”
The resolution stated: “In our view, any form of understanding with this group, under the guise of negotiation, constitutes overt engagement with war criminals, perpetrators of crimes against humanity, and agents of gender apartheid.” The activists called on the United Nations to redirect its dialogues toward the people of Afghanistan.
They also demanded the criminalization and formal recognition of gender apartheid in Afghanistan, stating, “Women and LGBTQ+ individuals are clearly subjected to apartheid under the current regime. It is the duty of the United Nations and member countries to criminalize and officially recognize gender apartheid in Afghanistan.” The resolution emphasized the need for accountability for “war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated indiscriminately by the Taliban,” highlighting that sufficient evidence has been documented by both domestic and international organizations to substantiate these claims.
The women’s rights activists and civil society members urged the United Nations to impose sanctions against the Taliban regime and to maintain the group on the list of terrorist organizations. The Doha meeting is set to commence today, Sunday, June 30, with the main negotiations continuing until tomorrow. Women have been excluded from the composition and agenda of the main negotiations, leading to widespread protests from them and other Afghanistani citizens.
Several women activists have boycotted the meeting. Notable invitees, including Habiba Sarabi, a member of the previous government’s negotiating team, Nabila Mosleh, the former Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs, and Zubaida Akbar, a human rights activist, have also refused to attend the Doha meeting. Meanwhile, Taliban representatives arrived in Doha last night to participate in the meeting.
