As the Taliban nears full control of Afghanistan, the High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urged the Human Rights Council to take action. While the Taliban has claimed to have evolved since it last controlled the country, the terrorist group has already been accused of committing several human rights violations. Ms Bachelet told the 47-member council on Tuesday: “At this critical moment, the people of Afghanistan look to the Human Rights Council to defend and protect their rights.
“I urge this council to take bold and vigorous action, commensurate with the gravity of this crisis, by establishing a dedicated mechanism to closely monitor the evolving human rights situation in Afghanistan.
“The onus is now fully on the Taliban to translate these commitments into reality.
“A fundamental red line will be the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls.”
The UN official cited reports of executions of former government officials.
During the Taliban’s control of the country in the 90s, the terrorist group clamped down on women’s rights and confined them to their homes.
The group also held public executions during its regime.
Despite their brutal history, the Taliban has claimed it will now respect the rights of women under its latest rule.
Their rights, however, will only be respected within the framework of Islam.
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The document came as part of an investigation by the RHIPTO Norwegian Center for Global Analyses.
The group provides intelligence to the United National and warned anyone on the Taliban’s blacklist was in severe danger.
Christian Nellemann, who heads the group behind the report, told the BBC: “There are a high number of individuals that are currently being targeted by the Taliban and the threat is crystal clear.
“It is in writing that, unless they give themselves in, the Taliban will arrest and prosecute, interrogate and punish family members on behalf of those individuals.”
Both the UK and US are continuing their evacuation operations.
However, the Taliban has warned both must leave the country by August 31 or they will suffer consequences.
Boris Johnson chaired a meeting of the G7 on Tuesday where it implored Joe Biden to extend the evacuation deadline.
Ahead of the meeting today, Mr Johnson said: “Our first priority is to complete the evacuation of our citizens and those Afghans who have assisted our efforts over the last 20 years – but as we look ahead to the next phase, it’s vital we come together as an international community and agree a joint approach for the longer term.