Åsne Seierstad, author of “The Bookseller of Kabul,” discusses her new book “The Afghans,” returning to the country after the chaotic US withdrawal and the erosion of women’s rights.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/03/tv/video/amanpour-afghanistan-women-rights-taliban-asne-seierstad
The UN has condemned the public flogging of more than 60 people, including more than a dozen women, by the Taliban in northern Sari Pul province.
At least 63 people were lashed on Tuesday by Afghanistan’s de facto authorities, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a statement, condemning corporal punishment and calling for respect for international human rights obligations.
Taliban’s supreme court confirmed the public flogging of 63 people, including 14 women who had been accused of crimes including sodomy, theft and immoral relations. They were flogged at a sports stadium.
The Taliban, despite promises of more moderate rule, began carrying out severe punishments in public – executions, floggings and stonings – shortly after returning to power in 2021. The punishments are similar to those seen during the Taliban’s previous rule in the late 1990s.
Separate statements by the supreme court said a man and a woman convicted of adultery and trying to run away from home were flogged in northern Panjsher province on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, the Taliban publicly executed a man convicted of murder as thousands watched at a stadium in northern Jawzjan province. The brother of the murdered man shot the convict five times with a rifle.
It was the fifth public execution since the Taliban seized power in August 2021 as USand Nato troops were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from the country after two decades of war.
Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The leader of the United Arab Emirates met Tuesday with an official in the Taliban government still wanted by the United States on an up-to $10 million bounty over his involvement in an attack that killed an American citizen and other assaults.
The meeting highlights the growing divide internationally on how to deal with the Taliban, who seized control of Afghanistan in 2021 and since have barred girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and otherwise restricted women’s role in public life. While the West still doesn’t recognize the Taliban as Kabul’s government, nations in the Mideast and elsewhere have reached out to them.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, met Sirajuddin Haqqani at the Qasr Al Shati palace in the Emirati capital, the state-run WAM news agency reported. It published an image of Sheikh Mohammed shaking hands with Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister who also heads the Haqqani network, a powerful network within the group blamed for some of the bloodiest attacks against Afghanistan’s former Western-backed government.
For their part, the Taliban described the two men as discussing “mutual interests,” without elaborating. It added that the Taliban’s spy chief, Abdul Haq Wasiq, also took part in the meeting. Wasiq had been held for years at the U.S. military’s prison at Guantanamo Bay and released in 2014 in a swap that saw the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been captured after leaving his post in 2009.
While the Taliban argued the strike violated the terms of the 2020 Doha Agreement that put in motion the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the accord also included a promise by the Taliban not harbor al-Qaida members or others seeking to attack America.
The Haqqani network grew into one of the deadliest arms of the Taliban after the U.S.-led 2001 invasion of Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 attacks. The group employed roadside bombs, suicide bombings and other attacks, including on the Indian and U.S. embassies, the Afghan presidency and other major targets. They also have been linked to extortion, kidnapping and other criminal activity.
Haqqani himself specifically acknowledged planning a January 2008 attack against the Serena Hotel in Kabul, which killed six people, including U.S. citizen Thor David Hesla.
The U.S. long has been a security guarantor for the UAE, a federation of seven hereditarily ruled sheikhdoms also home to Dubai, and has thousands of troops working out Al Dhafra Air Base and other locations in the country.
Since the Taliban takeover, China is the most-prominent country to accept a diplomat from the group. Other countries have accepted de facto Taliban representatives, like Qatar, which has been a key mediator between the U.S. and the group. American envoys have met multiple times with the Taliban as well.
The UAE, which hosted a Taliban diplomatic mission during the Taliban’s first rule in Afghanistan, has been trying to solidify ties to the group even as it sent troops to back the Western coalition that fought for decades in the country. The low-cost UAE-based carriers Air Arabia and FlyDubai have begun flying into Kabul International Airport again, while an Emirati company won a security contract for airfields in Afghanistan.
Concerns about human rights under the Taliban’s rule persist as well.
U.N. human rights spokesman Jeremy Laurence on Wednesday criticized a reported mass flogging of 63 men and women at a sporting facility in the city of Sar-e-pul over alleged offenses including “running away from home” and “moral crimes.” Afghan media quoted a local government official and witnesses confirming the floggings took place Tuesday.
“The punishment was reportedly carried out in front of members of the de facto authorities and hundreds of local residents,” Laurence said. “We again urge the de facto authorities to immediately cease all forms of corporal punishment.”
Afghanistan faces serious threats from climate change, and studies indicate that it is among the least prepared to combat these threats.
As the world commemorates World Environment Day, Afghanistan is grappling with the severe consequences of climate change-induced events. Most recently, deadly floods in several provinces have not only destroyed thousands of hectares of agricultural land and endangered the existing ecosystem but also claimed the lives of over 300 people.
Rosa Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA stated in a video message on World Environment Day that Afghanistan’s beautiful and unique environment is under threat. She emphasized the need to restore ecosystems to prevent climate-related floods and droughts.
Officials of the de facto administration also remarked on this occasion that industrial countries play a significant role in producing greenhouse gases, which negatively impacts countries like Afghanistan.
Concerns over climate change threats to Afghanistan have increased, especially since, due to political developments in the country, Afghanistan’s seat at crucial international meetings on climate change, including the recent COP, has remained vacant.
Additionally, the recent deadly floods have exacerbated the already dire situation. The floods have not only resulted in significant loss of life but also caused extensive damage to infrastructure, displacing thousands of families.
The lack of adequate disaster preparedness and response mechanisms has further highlighted the urgent need for international assistance and support to help Afghanistan cope with the increasing frequency and severity of such natural disasters.
The devastating impact of the floods underscores Afghanistan’s vulnerability to climate change and the urgent need for comprehensive climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. The international community’s support is crucial to building resilience and ensuring sustainable development in Afghanistan amidst these environmental challenges.
The International Taste Institute of Belgium has announced that Herat saffron has once again secured the top position globally for the ninth time, being recognized as the “most delicious” saffron.
On Tuesday, June 4th, the institute published a report stating that Herat saffron was identified as the best saffron following laboratory tests.
The International Taste Institute, based in Belgium, annually evaluates food products from various countries worldwide based on specific criteria.
It is noteworthy that, according to this institute’s assessments, Afghanistan saffron has received the award for the best taste.
It is worth mentioning that saffron is one of Afghanistan’s most valuable industrial crops, consistently receiving the top award for best taste over the years.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of Afghanistan, in 2023, 8,304 hectares of land in 26 provinces of the country were cultivated with saffron, yielding 23.249 metric tons of saffron, of which 22.240 metric tons were harvested from Herat province.
Afghan saffron, also known as “red gold,” is currently exported to numerous markets in many countries, especially Arab countries, India, and China.
Afghanistan faces serious threats from climate change, and studies indicate that it is among the least prepared to combat these threats.
As the world commemorates World Environment Day, Afghanistan is grappling with the severe consequences of climate change-induced events. Most recently, deadly floods in several provinces have not only destroyed thousands of hectares of agricultural land and endangered the existing ecosystem but also claimed the lives of over 300 people.
Rosa Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA stated in a video message on World Environment Day that Afghanistan’s beautiful and unique environment is under threat. She emphasized the need to restore ecosystems to prevent climate-related floods and droughts.
Officials of the de facto administration also remarked on this occasion that industrial countries play a significant role in producing greenhouse gases, which negatively impacts countries like Afghanistan.
Concerns over climate change threats to Afghanistan have increased, especially since, due to political developments in the country, Afghanistan’s seat at crucial international meetings on climate change, including the recent COP, has remained vacant.
Additionally, the recent deadly floods have exacerbated the already dire situation. The floods have not only resulted in significant loss of life but also caused extensive damage to infrastructure, displacing thousands of families.
The lack of adequate disaster preparedness and response mechanisms has further highlighted the urgent need for international assistance and support to help Afghanistan cope with the increasing frequency and severity of such natural disasters.
The devastating impact of the floods underscores Afghanistan’s vulnerability to climate change and the urgent need for comprehensive climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. The international community’s support is crucial to building resilience and ensuring sustainable development in Afghanistan amidst these environmental challenges.
Afghanistan Peace Campaign