Afghanistan - country of concern update: 31 December 2014
Updated 16 October 2014
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-country-of-concern/afghanistan-country-of-concern-update-31-december-2014
Any incidents or events taking place after 31 December 2014 will be covered in future reports.
0.1 Latest update: 31 December 2014
We continue to be concerned about the human rights situation in Afghanistan. However, October to December 2014 has seen an increase in positive messages and dialogue from the newly formed National Unity Government (NUG) of Afghanistan on the themes of human rights and women, freedom of expression, and access to government information. We need to see these recent pledges turn into tangible action and change in Afghanistan. Without a formally appointed cabinet in place, the political, economic and security situation remains fragile, preventing human rights from being addressed.
1. Elections and Government Formation
In October, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, visited Afghanistan to congratulate President Ashraf Ghani on his appointment and to discuss the challenges ahead for the NUG. Subsequently, negotiations on ministerial appointments between President Ghani and Dr Abdullah, in the newly created CEO role, have been slow to progress. President Ghani initially appointed existing ministers as acting ministers with a view to announcing formal appointments at the end of November. However, in the absence of any formal appointments, President Ghani promoted deputy ministers to serve as acting ministers until the end of December 2014. The UK government, along with the international community, have raised concerns about the impact of delays on the government’s reform agenda, and have strongly urged the NUG formally to appoint ministers as a matter of urgency.
2. Other Areas
In October, following the 18 September statement from the EU and its Member States on the rising level of violence against journalists and the need to have a free and independent media, President Ghani reversed his predecessor’s decision to expel an American journalist, Matthew Rosenberg. President Ghani said Mr Rosenberg would be welcome to return to Afghanistan, as would any other reporters. Furthermore, in December, President Ghani signed the Access to Information Law, which allows Afghan citizens the right of access to information from government and non-government institutions (NGOs), with the aim of ensuring transparency and accountability in the conduct of government and NGOs.
In October, five men were executed after the Afghan Appeal Court upheld their sentences for robbing and gang-raping a group of family members travelling through the Paghman District in Kabul last August. The EU and its Member States issued a statement on 7 September strongly condemning this heinous crime and fully supporting the efforts of the NUG to protect women’s rights. The UK has joined the EU and other Member States in reiterating opposition to the death penalty in any and all circumstances. President Ghani has subsequently committed to reviewing 400 outstanding death penalty cases.
In November 2014, Rashida Manjoo, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, visited Afghanistan. During the visit, the British Deputy Ambassador, Robert Chatterton-Dickson, met Mrs Manjoo. After her visit, the Special Rapporteur made a statement on the context and realities of women and girls in Afghanistan. A full report of her findings will be published in June 2015.
In November, Afghanistan passed legislation criminalising recruitment of child soldiers and setting the new legal recruitment age at 18. This follows the NUG’s endorsement of the UN Road Map to Compliance to end recruitment of child soldiers.
On 23 November, Baroness Anelay attended and spoke at the Oslo Symposium on Advancing Women’s Rights and Empowerment in Afghanistan. The summary report reaffirmed the commitment of the NUG, Afghan civil society, and the international community to the improvement of women’s rights and empowerment. Afghanistan’s First Lady Rula Ghani gave the key note address, which included a strong message that “rights means responsibilities”, encouraging Afghan women to share knowledge to move forward. Baroness Anelay met H.E. Rula Ghani, Amnesty International UK and Afghan Women’s Network, to discuss human rights, including women’s rights.
The London Conference on Afghanistan, held on 3-4 December, provided a platform for the new NUG to set out their vision for Afghanistan. Human rights, including women’s rights, featured prominently in the conference communiqué alongside the Afghan government’s reform paper, “Realizing Self Reliance: Commitments to Reform and Renewed Partnerships”. This paper highlighted a renewed commitment to strengthen measures to protect women against violence through the implementation of the Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW) law, the development of a comprehensive database reporting cases in coordination with human rights and justice institutions, the development of a National Economic Empowerment Plan for women, and a commitment to promote human rights in the justice and security sectors by professionalising the court system and justice processes. The challenge in 2015 will be for the Afghan government to implement its ambitious package of reforms.
In December, the UN Security Council welcomed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the NUG’s agreement to establish a new non-combat, training, advisory and assistance mission, which would begin operation in January 2015: Operation Resolute Support Mission. The United Nations Security Council welcomed the mission, stating the necessity of improving security in order to advance women’s rights, and of protecting children in armed conflict, especially eliminating the recruitment of child soldiers.
On 7-10 December, the British Embassy supported Kabul Human Rights Week, which this year focused on human rights defenders (HRDs). The week ended on International Human Rights Day, at which the British Ambassador gave a speech recognising the achievements of HRDs in Afghanistan, and urged the government to do more to protect them. The following day, a civil society theatre performance in the same location was attacked by a suicide bomber, who killed two and wounded numerous others. The Taliban claimed responsibility. Following the attack, President Ghani made a speech condemning the attack and reaffirming his personal commitment to defending human rights for the citizens of Afghanistan.
Following strong lobbying efforts from UK and other EU member states throughout 2014, the EU published the ”EU and Member States Local Strategy on Human Rights Defenders in Afghanistan 2014” on 10 December. The UK government contributed to its drafting and have had the strategy translated into local languages. We are now working closely with the EU Delegation and other Member States on its implementation. The Embassy regularly meets HRDs, and also joined the EU HRD Networking event organised by the EU in December.
On 11 December, the UK government published the UK Implementation plan for the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security UNSCR 1325.The Implementation Plan sets out activities that the UK government will be pursuing with a view to measuring progress on targets we set in the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.
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