RAWA Observed Human Rights Day

The Nation, Dec. 11, 2003

Various governmental organizations and human activists observed world Human Rights day to show their deep concern on the impoverished human conditions here on Wednesday.

Many rallies and seminars were organized in the Federal Capital by people fighting for human rights and they strongly condemned human violations.

Revolutionary Association of the women of Afghanistan (RAWA) held a demonstration in front of United Nations office to raise voice against human tights violations in Afghanistan.

Hundreds of Afghan women, men and children participated in the demonstration and chanted slogans for the restoration of real democracy in Afghanistan and stressed the need of respecting human rights.

They were holding placards in scribed with “democracy with out secularism is incomplete,” “the fundamentalists presence contaminates discredits and disgraces the Loya Jirga,” and they also chanted slogans in favor of independence and human rights.

The women representatives of RAWA also handed over a memorandum to the UN representative in which they said that now it is clear for all the people of the world that despite the presence of peace-keeping forces (ISAF) and the tall claims of Afghanistan’s president Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan still remains a center of human rights violations.

The demonstrators were of the view the two years have elapsed since the US and its allies attacked Afghanistan under the slogan of “defending human rights”, punishing their servants of yesterday and toppling their medieval minded regime but still they cannot trace any sign of stability, peace and security in the country.

They said threat violence continues against women, incidents of rape, threats and forced marriages by the armed Jehadis, the unprecedented increase in the number of suicide and self-burning among women. The threats for families for sending their girls to school and the unremitting burning of girls’ schools are in full swing. According to RAWA the feudal and fiefdom systems continues besides nonstop disputed among criminal in all provinces. In addition the ministries and other governmental departments are spending a large portion of the foreign aids on personal interests while the reconstruction process goes shamefully slow.

Despite claims of “freedom of expression”, those who have the courage to express their uncompromising views face beatings, threats and bullets, the said.

RAWA condemns human rights abuses

The Frontier Post, Dec. 11, 2003

Islamabad: on the eve of international human rights day, Revolutionary Association of the women of Afghanistan (RAWA) Wednesday held a demonstration in front of United Nations office to condemn the human rights violation in Afghanistan.

Hundreds of Afghan women, men and children participated in the demonstration and chanted slogans for the restoration of real democracy in Afghanistan and stressed the need of respecting human rights.

They were holding placards inserting with “democracy with out secularism is incomplete” “the fundamentalists presence contaminates, discredits and disgraces the Loya Jirga” and also changed slogans in the favor of independence and human rights Demonstrators also chanted slogans against the former Taliban regime. They were of the view that two years have elapsed since Afghanistan under the slogan of “defending human rights”, punishing their servants of yesterday and toppling their medieval minded regime but still they can trace any sign of stability, peace and security in the country.

The women representatives of RAWA also handed over a memorandum to the UN representative in which they said that now it is clear for all the people of the world that despite the presence of ISAF and the tall claims of Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan still remains one of the centers of human rights violations.

They said that the violence continues against women, uncountable incidents of rape, threats and forced marriages by the armed Jehadis, the unprecedented increase in the number of suicide and self-burning among women. The threats for families for sending their girls to school and the unremitting burning of girls’ schools are in full swing.

They claimed that the murders, arrests and horrible tortures and so-called security officials due to ethnic, religious and factional reasons are increasing day by day. According to RAWA the feudal and fiefdom systems is continue besides nonstop disputed among criminal Jehadis in all provinces. In addition the ministries and other governmental departments are sending a large portion of the foreign aids while the reconstruction process goes shamefully slow.

RAWA accuses Afghan govt of violating women’s rights
Karzai urged to discuss HR issue in Loya Jirga

The News International, Dec.11, 2003

ISLAMABAD: More than 100 Afghan women on Wednesday staged a protest in the Pakistani capital accusing Afghanistan’s post-Taliban regime of surpassing their predecessors in violating human and women’s rights.

"After the Taliban’s demolition (two years ago), their fascist brothers were installed into power for the second time and these religious fascist jihadis act in a more bloody and heinous way than their Taliban brethren," a statement issued by the Revolutionary Association of Afghan Women (RAWA) said.

The statement was distributed by RAWA protesters outside United Nations offices in Islamabad to mark World Human Rights day. The organisation, which campaigned clandestinely at great risk against the Taliban and their brutal treatment of women, said "violence continues against women" under the current regime.

The RAWA alleged there were unaccountable incidents of rape, forced marriages and incidents of self-immolation and suicides by women under the present transitional government, which is dominated by leaders of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance.

The RAWA accused northern warlords Abdul Rashid Dostam, an Uzbek commander, his Tajik rival Atta Muhammad, and western strongman Ismail Khan, now governor of Herat province as figures of gross crimes against women.

During the five-year rule of the Taliban, who seized power in 1996, women were banned from classrooms and workplaces and forced to wear the all-covering burqa veil in rarely permitted forays from home.

Since the collapse of the militia, women have slowly clawed back some of their rights, returning to jobs, schools and public life. But many oppressions remain.

---

[Home Page] [Photos of the Function] [RAWA Statement]