Afghanistan - Country of Concern update: 30 June 2014
Updated 16 October 2014
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The human rights situation in Afghanistan from April to June 2014 is largely unchanged from the previous three months.
1. UN Human Rights Council
The report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for Afghanistan was presented during the 26th session of the UN Human Rights Council on 19 June. This included the Afghan government’s response to recommendations made by the UK during its UPR in January. A copy of the report can be found on the UN website. The UK statement re-emphasised our concerns regarding the levels of violence towards Afghan women and those defending human rights, and called on the Afghan government to tackle impunity. The report confirmed that the Afghan government has accepted the UK’s recommendation to ensure that the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission is given the independence and legal authority to hold to account perpetrators of detainee mistreatment. It also stated that a final decision has not been made on our second recommendation to repeal article 398 of the Penal Code, which gives perpetrators of honour killings legal concessions. Out of the 224 recommendations made by member states, Afghanistan has accepted 189, rejected 12 and is giving further consideration to 23.
2. Elections
On 5 April, the Afghan people went to the polls to elect a new president, as well as their provincial council representatives. On election day in the first round, according to the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan (IEC), voter turnout was relatively high, with 6.6 million valid votes cast. 36% of voters were female. Some areas, especially large cities, experienced shortages of ballot papers. Despite the IEC releasing additional ballot papers, a small percentage of Afghan voters were unable to vote. Security preparations appeared to work well, with no major security incidents in urban areas. 16,000 independent Afghan election observers and over 300,000 candidate agents observed the election process, along with international teams from the EU, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Asian Network for Free Elections, and Democracy International.
The final results of the first round of the presidential election were certified on 15 May. As no candidate secured over 50% of the vote, a second round was held on 14 June between the two leading candidates: Abdullah Abdullah (who won 45% of the vote), and Ashraf Ghani (who won 31.6%). Election day in the second round was broadly equivalent to the first round in terms of security and initial indications of turnout. However, allegations of fraud led to the resignation of the Chief Electoral Officer and some peaceful street protests. The result of the second round is expected in July.
In late May, the IEC announced the preliminary results of the provincial council elections. The volume of complaints received was higher than expected, and the publication of final results has been delayed.
3. Other Developments
On 17 May, the Afghan parliament passed by majority vote the Presidential Decree amending Article 26 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The original code, passed by parliament in January, included controversial articles over the rights of relatives to testify in cases involving family members. Not allowing them to do so would have made prosecution of certain crimes, such as domestic violence and child abuse, extremely difficult. The Presidential Decree clarifies that relatives can refrain from testifying, but are not legally prevented from doing so.
The British Ambassador to Afghanistan, Sir Richard Stagg, celebrated the contribution of disabled Afghan artists at an exhibition of artwork hosted by the British Embassy in May. The artwork displayed was the result of the British Council Afghanistan’s Culture and Peace-Building Programme, which uses arts and culture to improve understanding between communities and advance reconciliation.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office sponsored the Afghan government and representatives from Afghan civil society to participate in the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London in June. The delegation included the Deputy Minister for Women’s Affairs and representatives from the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. To coincide with the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, the British Embassy in Kabul hosted a workshop on the theme of Women and Security in Afghanistan on 10 June. The workshop, chaired by the Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan, Robert Chatterton Dickson, was attended by a range of representatives from government, the security forces and civil society. Discussion focused on the challenges faced by women in accessing justice, women’s role in the security sector, and ways to overcome barriers to progress.
The EU Foreign Affairs Council adopted Council Conclusions on Afghanistan at their meeting on 23 June in Luxembourg. This included the 2014-2016 EU Strategy and Implementation Plan for Afghanistan which sets out the EU’s objectives, and outlines the actions and initiatives planned to achieve them. One of four priority areas for the EU’s future work in Afghanistan will be fostering the rule of law and respect for human rights, in particular the rights of women and children.
The UK has taken the coalition lead at the new Afghan National Army Officer Academy, helping to develop the next generation of Afghan military leaders. The first intake of female cadets to the academy was in June. The academy will train up to 1,050 male students and 90 female students every year.
On 30 June, the lower house of parliament passed the Access to Information Law, which would allow Afghan citizens the right to access government information. The law would be a significant step forward in support of freedom of information, and in helping improve government accountability and transparency. The draft law now requires approval from the upper house of parliament, and then the President’s signature, before it can come into effect.
On 12 June, the Foreign Secretary, Secretary of State for Defence, Phillip Hammond, and Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening, launched the UK government’s third National Action Plan on Women, Peace & Security. This sets out our ambition to put women and girls at the centre of all efforts to prevent and resolve conflict, to promote peace and stability, and to prevent and respond to violence. Six priority countries have been identified, including Afghanistan. We are developing an implementation plan, which will be made available to the public later this year.