Denmark told the UN Human Rights Council that the Taliban has completely avoided engaging with the international community on human-rights issues.
Frederik Vangtoft, a senior member of Denmark’s diplomatic mission to the UN, urged member states to adopt the EU-proposed resolution that would establish an independent accountability mechanism for Afghanistan.
He said the Taliban seized power by force four years ago and has since institutionalized repression across the country. According to him, the group is “openly” violating Afghanistan’s international obligations and pushing the country toward an even deeper human-rights crisis.
The Human Rights Council is scheduled to vote today on the draft resolution, which would create a mechanism to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyze evidence of international crimes and grave violations in Afghanistan.
Vangtoft said that beyond women and girls, who face “severe gender-based discrimination and oppression,” men and boys are also suffering under Taliban rule.
He added that minorities, LGBTQ people, human-rights defenders, media workers, and former government officials and security forces face “serious human-rights abuses.”
The Danish representative noted that the Council established the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan in 2021 and has repeatedly extended it.
He said that if today’s draft resolution is passed, it will create the first meaningful international mechanism to address the “deep-rooted impunity” in Afghanistan.
Vangtoft called on all Council members to adopt the resolution by consensus.
