Taliban response to protests increasingly violent, UN rights office warns 

OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told reporters successful Geneva that connected Wednesday, the Taliban issued an acquisition prohibiting unauthorized assemblies. A time later, they ordered telecommunications companies to power off access to the internet connected mobile phones, in circumstantial areas of the capital, Kabul. 

Ms. Shamdasani said that, arsenic Afghan women and men instrumentality to the streets during this clip of large uncertainty, “it is important that those successful powerfulness perceive to their voices.” 

“We telephone connected the Taliban to instantly cease the usage of unit towards, and the arbitrary detention of, those exercising their close to peaceful assembly and the journalists covering the protests,” she added. 

Dissent growing 

According to OHCHR, protests person been taking spot since 15 August and were expanding successful fig until Wednesday evening’s acquisition connected the prohibition of unlawful assemblies.  

From 15 to 19 August, radical gathered successful Nangarhar and Kunar provinces to people nationalist flag-raising ceremonies. Credible reports indicate that during that period, the Taliban reportedly killed a antheral and a boy, and injured 8 others with unrecorded fire, in an evident effort to disperse the crowds. 

On 7 September, during a protestation successful Herat, the Taliban reportedly changeable and killed 2 men and wounded 7 more. That aforesaid time successful Kabul, further credible reports bespeak that the Taliban bushed and detained protesters, including respective women and up to 15 journalists.  

On Wednesday, arsenic a mostly pistillate radical of demonstrators gathered successful the Dashti-Barchi area of Kabul, astatine slightest 5 journalists were arrested and 2 severely beaten for respective hours. 

OHCHR added that during a objection successful Faizabad metropolis successful Badakhshan state held by respective women, including activists and quality rights defenders, the Taliban fired successful the aerial and allegedly bushed respective protesters. 

A tiny radical of women successful Kabul were violently dispersed, arsenic the Taliban fired shots into the aerial implicit their heads. That aforesaid day, women were violently dispersed during protests in Kapisa and Takhar provinces, and respective women’s rights activists in Kapisa were detained. 

International law 

Ms. Shamdasani recalled that peaceful protests are protected nether planetary quality rights law, including nether Article 21 of the International Covenant connected Civil and Political Rights, to which Afghanistan is simply a State Party. 

She said that “authorities indispensable guarantee a safe, enabling and non-discriminatory situation for the workout of quality rights, including state of look and peaceful assembly.” 

Blanket restrictions connected peaceful assemblies represent a usurpation of planetary law, arsenic bash broad net shutdowns which usually interruption the principles of necessity and proportionality.   

Journalists progressive successful reporting connected assemblies indispensable not look reprisals oregon different harassment, adjacent if an assembly is declared unlawful oregon is dispersed. 

The spokesperson reminded that “there is an work to guarantee that immoderate usage of unit successful effect to protests is simply a past resort, strictly indispensable and proportionate and firearms indispensable ne'er beryllium utilized but successful effect to an imminent menace of decease oregon superior injury.” 

Rather than banning peaceful protests, she added, “the Taliban should cease the usage of unit and guarantee the state of peaceful assembly and expression, including arsenic a means for radical to dependable their concerns and workout their close to enactment successful nationalist affairs.” 

Growing hunger crossed Afghanistan: WFP 

Food and blankets are handed retired to radical successful request successful Kabul, the superior of Afghanistan, by © WFP/Arete

The World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Friday of increasing hunger amid mounting economical hardship and uncertainty.  

Some 93 per cent of households don’t person capable to eat, while three successful 4 families are already reducing information sizes or reduced to borrowing food. 

According to telephone surveys carried retired from 21 August to 5 September successful each 34 provinces, families are besides buying cheaper, less nutritious foods and parents are skipping meals wholly to let children to eat. 

The number of households resorting to utmost coping strategies has doubled: “a wide motion that galore families are teetering connected the borderline of implicit destitution”, said WFP Deputy Regional Director Anthea Webb. 

Before 15 August and the Taliban takeover, 81 per cent of households were already reporting insufficient nutrient depletion and 1 successful 3 Afghans were considered to be acutely nutrient insecure. 

WFP recovered that families are present consuming protein-rich nutrient little than erstwhile per fortnight. Prior to 15 August, it was erstwhile per week. 

With wintertime accelerated approaching and the system collapsing, Ms Webb said it is present “a contention against clip to present lifesaving assistance to the Afghan people.”