UN calls on Taliban to end violence immediately – News

The United Nations (UN) has called on the Taliban who wield power in Afghanistan to “immediately cease force”, in addition to arbitrary arrests, against protesters and journalists.

The spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, demanded that in Afghanistan the “immediate end to the use of force and the arbitrary detention of those who exercise their right to peaceful assembly and journalists covering the protests, ”at a press conference.

/ Home Integration code /

/ Complete the embed code /

According to the official, the Taliban are reacting “more and more violently to the peaceful marches in Afghanistan, which have included the use of live ammunition, batons and whips, causing the deaths of at least four people”.

Shamdasani noted that “since August 15 there have been demonstrations and their number has increased until the instruction this Wednesday evening on the ban on illegal meetings.”

Similarly, he argued that “reports indicate that the Taliban more and more to the use of force against those who participate in or report on protests. “

According to the images broadcast by CNNTaliban fighters used whips and sticks against a group of women demonstrating in Kabul city, while also beating several journalists covering the protest.

Shamdasani recalled that peaceful protests are protected by international human rights law, including article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Afghanistan is a party.

Therefore, he warned that “general restrictions on peaceful assemblies violate international law, as do general Internet shutdowns, which often violate the principles of necessity and proportionality.”

He also stressed that “journalists reporting on protests should not face reprisals or other types of harassment, even if it is a meeting declared illegal or dispersed”.