Afghanistan: Taliban announced general amnesty | Having taken control of almost the entire country and the presidential palace in Kabul

The Taliban have announced the end of the war in Afghanistan. On Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Taliban spoke of the general amnesty decreed and the rights of women under the leadership of the Taliban. Although he did not enter details, the government spokesman assured that women will be able to work but asked to wait for the government to establish what the new rules will be. As everyday life has already started to show some features of the new diet: Few women were on the streets for fear of what the Taliban would impose, men traded their Western clothes for shalwar kameez, loose clothing traditional in Afghanistan, and state television broadcasts were mostly reserved for programs Islamic.

“The war is over”

The new Afghan government addressed the people on Tuesday at the first press conference since coming to power after taking control of the capital Kabul last Sunday. “The war is over, [el líder de los talibanes] he forgave everyone “, declared the spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, who assured that the general amnesty is for all the agents of the State, which he called to “resume their daily life with confidence”. “No one will knock on their door to ask who they helped”, He said.

The questions on women’s rights were the most repeated during the press conference. “We promise to let women work in accordance with the principles of Islam”Mujahid responded. The brutality of Former Taliban regime which imposed an ultra-rigorous version of Islamic law from 1996 to 2001: girls could not go to school, women were mostly confined to their homes and could not go out without a male companion. They were also not allowed to be civil servants or to study. Those accused of adultery were whipped and stoned to death.

A few women briefly gathered at the entrance to the “green zone” to demand the right to return to work, the Taliban trying to disperse them until civilians convinced them to leave. At the press conference Mujahid assured that there would be no discrimination against women, but “always within the margins that we have”. “We will allow women to work and study (…) women will be very active in society, but within the framework of Islam“, He underlined, since” women are necessary and they will be allowed to work “.

Mujahid remarked that “the issue of women is very important, Islam is committed to women’s rights under Sharia (or Islamic law)” and women will be able to participate “in different areas according to our standards and regulations “.

This Tuesday, spokesperson for the Taliban political bureau in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen, ensured that girls and women could continue to attend school, as well as access higher education in Afghanistan. “We have announced this policy more than once, at international conferences like the one in Moscow, at the Doha conference. Our leader mentioned this in his speeches. So it’s our policy“Shaheen said in an interview with UK Sky News.

“In all these areas that fall on our side in Afghanistan, there were thousands of schools, girls’ schools, universities. All are functioning,” he said. The Taliban spokesman also pointed out that “even” a woman could be seen delivering the news. “He went back to his job,” he said.

Types of sail

While asked about the possibility of women occupying political positions under the Taliban regime, Shaheen replied that “Our policy is clear. They can access education and work, that’s one thing. “. “They can occupy positions, but they can occupy these positions within the context of Islamic law., so there is a general framework for them, ”said the Taliban spokesman, who stressed that women should be covered according to“ Islamic standards ”, but that wearing the burqa (full veil) will not be not compulsory for women since “There are different types of veil.

“The burqa is not the only hijab [velo] that can be transported. There are different types of hijab that are not limited to the burqa “Shaheen said. When they ruled the country between 1996 and 2001, girls’ schools were closed, women could not travel or work, and were forced to wear public hats. burqa, which covers the whole body and face, with a fabric mesh at eye level. Previously, the Chief Enamullah Samangani, Taliban Culture Commission, announced the amnesty and urged women to join government. Samangani described women as “the main victims of more than 40 years of crisis in Afghanistan”.

“Cautious optimism”

For its part, the head of operations of UNICEF in Afghanistan, Mustapha Ben Messaoud, I affirm that messages received from the Taliban on girls’ education were “more or less the same” with some “minor differences”. “There are parts of the country where they told us they were waiting for guidance from their leaders, religious and political. In other parts, they said they wanted to see girls’ education and schools work. “, he added. Messaoud said Unicef ​​maintains “cautious optimism”, while in the country 11 of the 13 offices of the UN body have remained operational since the Taliban came to power.

While the Former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who retired to Panshir valley, the only region that has escaped the control of the Taliban, has spoken of its right to assume the presidency of the country after the resignation of President Ghani. “I am currently in my country and I am the legitimate provisional president. I ask all leaders for their support and consensus, ”he explained on his Twitter account.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson Michelle Bachelet, evoked both the promises of the Taliban and the fear of the population. “Such promises must be honored, and for now – understandable given the history – these statements have been met with skepticism.”, He said Rupert colville to the press in Geneva.

In front of the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, dozens of people demonstrated to demand women’s rights, freedom of expression and other human rights in Afghanistan, with signs reading “We want peace” and “Help ‘Afghanistan’. While the The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has called for a ban on deportations of Afghans to their countries of origin, even if their asylum claims are rejected, given the “imminent risk” they run in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.

In an offensive that began in May after the announcement of the US troop withdrawal but has deepened over the past ten days, Taliban forces have taken control of provincial capitals until they take the capital Kabul last Sunday.