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By Stéphanie Nebehay and Emma Farge
GENEVA (Reuters) – The UN human rights chief said on Tuesday she received credible reports of serious Taliban violations in Afghanistan, including “summary executions” of civilians and Afghan security forces who were are rendered.
Michelle Bachelet did not give any details about the killings in her address to the Human Rights Council, but urged the Geneva forum to put in place a mechanism to closely monitor the actions of the Taliban.
The Taliban’s treatment of women and girls is said to be “a fundamental red line,” she said during the emergency council session, held at the behest of Pakistan and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation ( OCI).
Afghanistan’s diverse ethnic and religious minorities are also exposed to violence and repression, she said, citing reports of killings and targeted attacks in recent months.
Nasir Ahmad Andisha, a senior Afghan diplomat in the ousted government, called for accountability for the actions of the Taliban, describing an “uncertain and dire” situation where millions fear for their lives.
Independent UN human rights experts, in a joint statement, said many people were in hiding as “the Taliban continue to search homes from door to door” and property seizures and reprisals were reported.
But Chinese Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Chen Xu, said the US military and the armed forces of other coalition partners, including Britain and Australia, should be held accountable for alleged violations of the rights of their forces committed in Afghanistan.
The United States condemned attacks it said were carried out on civilians, journalists, activists and minority groups, but did not name the Taliban.
Council will consider a draft resolution, submitted by Pakistan, which expresses concern over reports of violations.
But he doesn’t mention the Taliban by name, nor has he set up an international fact-finding mission to investigate them.
Instead, he calls on Bachelet to report to the forum at its March 2022 session and urges all parties to respect human rights law, including “the full and meaningful participation of women” and minorities. .
“We were hoping for a stronger text, it is extremely minimalist and we are disappointed,” a Western diplomat told Reuters as the heated negotiations continued.
Shaharzad Akbar, chairman of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, told the council: “The least the special session can do is illustrate with actions to Afghans that they will not look away.
Rejecting the current draft resolution as a “travesty,” she added: “Please make sure this session has a credible and solid outcome.”
(Edited by Giles Elgood)
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