Afghanistan: Taliban dissolves Human Rights Commission; cites budget crisis as reason

Amid the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, the Taliban dissolved the Human Rights Commission and other key departments on Monday. According to multiple media reports, it has also dissolved High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), which was earlier headed by former Afghan President Abdullah Abdullah.

The Taliban made the announcement citing the budget crisis. Meanwhile, rights activists condemned the decision and said that the institution abolished by the Taliban was not ideal. The activists said that the Afghans has now no option left to appeal for justice.

Taking to the microblogging site, Heather Barr, Associate women’s rights director and former senior Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that it was shocking to hear the Taliban leading the country in a backward direction.

"Let’s take moment to remember an Afghanistan which had a human rights commission. It was not perfect–these institutions never are–but it mattered enormously to have somewhere to go, to ask for help and to demand justice. Shocking to see a country go backwards in this way," said Barr.

"The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions had 120 member countries in April, but they will need to remove Afghanistan now," she added.

Taliban imposes 'head-to-toe' cover ruling for Afghan women

It is worth mentioning that after taking over the leadership of the country, the Taliban made tall claims about the new regime not resembling the old one. The extremist group promised to allow education and jobs for women. However, instead of fulfilling their promises, the Taliban barred women from educational institutions and working.

Earlier, on May 8, the Taliban again passed a contentious ruling wherein it ordered all Afghan women to wear head-to-toe clothing in public, resulting in condemnation from the international communities.

Reacting to the decree, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield slammed the decision and termed it "unconscionable". She said that the decree passed on Mother's Day has sent a chilling message to the world, adding that the Taliban will be judged by their "actions", not their "words".

The decree also mentioned that male relatives would face punishment, starting with a summons and escalating up to court hearings and jail time, for women’s dress code violations. According to the recently passed law, if a woman violates the ruling, the male member of her family will be jailed for at least three days.

Image: ANI