EU special envoys meet as human rights situation in Afghanistan worsens

Amid the deteriorating human rights situation due to the Taliban regime, Special Envoy of the European Union for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson hosted Special Representatives and Envoys for Afghanistan from the EU Member States in Brussels on Saturday.

Taking to Twitter, the envoy said, "Concerned about the deteriorating human rights situation, notably for women, girls and ethnic groups, the lack of political inclusivity, and the inability of the Taliban to adopt and implement coherent policies in line with commitments to the Afghan people," Khaama Press reported.

"In addition to the delegates, "external specialists" on human rights and economics attended the event, he further wrote on his Twitter handle as he condemned the Taliban's enforced stringent policies on women.

He wrote about the meeting's detail which concentrated on recent issues involving women and girls, the "deteriorating human rights situation", the absence of policy and public engagement, and the difficulty to implement coherent policies compliant with the international universal principles that also serve the people of Afghanistan.

The meeting was held in Brussels, and the representatives of EU member states have been reminded of their continued support and commitment to the Afghan people, Khaama Press reported.

Moreover, this comes at a time when the Human Rights Watch has accused the Taliban of war crimes in Panjshir and has called on the international community to impose a travel ban on senior Taliban officials in a separate report.

It also stated that expressing "deep concern" alone is not effective and that the Taliban should be made to behave in a practical and objective manner.

The atrocities of the Taliban against Afghan women have been on an incessant surge since the organization seized power in Afghanistan in August last year, banning young girls and women of humanitarian rights.

Most female workers in government institutions have been denied access to work since the Taliban assumed control of the country last August, and a number of them have been fired.

Meanwhile, the Taliban has suspended the secondary education of girls, and enforced a strict form of Hijab. They have also provided no opportunities for Afghan women to participate in political and public life, to fit the pattern of absolute gender segregation that is aimed at making women invisible in society.