Extract from the Report
This report is a brief update including an analysis of the Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) status, HRDs applications against threats, violations and intimidations. The cases cover only those who have officially reported and registered their case at Afghanistan Human Rights Defenders Committee (AHRDC) Secretariat.
The status quo is alarming for human rights defenders in all over the country. The statistics on applications to the committee indicates a surge in number of cases to AHRDC that points to the deteriorating security situation in country.
Only in first 2 months of 2021, the committee received a total of 40 cases of threats, violation and intimidation against HRDs. Since start of 2021 AHRDC has received 57 applications submitted by HRDs from all over the country.
27 have been ratified for support
12 have been referred to relevant institutions.
8 cases have been rejected
10 others are yet to be reviewed by the CRCs.
33 % of cases of violation and intimidation were reported by female HRDs.
Majority of the reported cases have been from central provinces followed by northern and western provinces. The southern provinces seems to have the least number of cases reported.
Women HRDs are subject to the same types of risks as any other human rights defender, but as women, they are also targeted for or exposed to gender-specific threats and gender-specific violence. Their relatives and loved ones also become targets of threats and violence, aiming to discourage WHRDs from pursuing their work.
During the reporting period, 19 female HRDs submitted applications of violation and intimidations against them to the AHRDC in Kabul and its regional networks, Balkh and Herat.
Nearly half of the applicants (9 of them) are from Kabul who are mainly threatened by Taliban where remaining 10 applications have been submitted by female HRDs in other provinces and the alleged perpetrators are religious extremists and Taliban.
Although the state has primary responsibility to protect defenders when they are threatened and attacked, the international community and UNAMA are also enhance their advocacy and protections services to the HRDs. AHRDC has also been able to create a strong partnership with most of its allies since early 2020. Fortunately, during the reporting period AHRDC and its partner human rights international organizations managed to deliver services for HRDs at risk through joint collaboration. Such cooperation between AHRDC and international partners is really encouraging and is a glimmer of hope for HRDs in country; therefore, this partnership should be strengthened as it is vital for HRDs support during these hard and difficult times.
Read the report here:
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