RASC News Agency: Sima Samar, former head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, characterized the third Doha meeting as unsuccessful, stressing that any decision-making without the participation of the majority of people, especially women, is unacceptable. Samar pointed out that the international community has marginalized the majority of Afghanistani people from negotiations and decision-making processes.
During the interview, Samar emphasized that acceding to the Taliban’s demands creates a conducive environment for further human rights violations in Afghanistan. She added that the Taliban do not represent the Afghanistani people and lack popular support. Furthermore, the former head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission highlighted that the international community has aligned with the Taliban in sidelining issues related to women’s rights and human rights.
She stated, “Every issue discussed at the Doha meeting directly impacts the situation of women in Afghanistan. The absence of women in these discussions suggests that they are not present to seek solutions but merely to occupy time.” Sima Samar stressed that the United Nations’ fundamental duty is to uphold human rights but criticized the organization for ignoring human rights issues at the Doha meeting.
She noted that some countries, under the pretext that the Taliban represent the reality of Afghanistan, seek to normalize this group. Samar continued, asserting that if the Taliban are considered the reality, then Afghanistani women and people are also part of that reality.
Human rights advocates argue that under pressure from the Taliban, the United Nations has not invited women and civil society to the main session but instead relegated them to a sideline session. The absence of representatives from political movements, civil society, and women has sparked widespread criticism. Some human rights and women’s rights activists have called for sanctions against the third Doha meeting.
