Geneva Activists’ Petition to UN; Request for Investigation into Women’s Rights Violations and Events in Herat
Geneva, Switzerland – Kabul Times News
A number of human rights activists, women’s rights defenders, and members of the Afghan community living in Europe have issued a petition and protest resolution in Geneva, calling on the United Nations and international human rights institutions to take immediate and effective action against the human rights situation in Afghanistan, especially the conditions of women and girls.
The petition, which is addressed to the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and UN Women, expresses the signatories’ deep concern over what they call “escalating human rights violations and widespread restrictions against Afghan women.”
The signatories of the document also expressed concern over reports of women’s detention, educational and social restrictions, and the handling of civil protests in the Jibraeel area of Herat, and called for the international community to pay greater attention to the human rights situation in Afghanistan.
The petition states that the exclusion of women from education, employment, social participation and public participation is contrary to recognized human rights principles and international obligations on equality and non-discrimination. The authors of the document also emphasize the right of citizens to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
Calls to the United Nations and the international community
The signatories of the petition call on the United Nations and international institutions to:
* Establish an independent fact-finding mission to investigate human rights violations in Afghanistan;
* Make the situation of Afghan women and girls an urgent priority on the agenda of international institutions;
* Strengthen accountability mechanisms for addressing human rights violations;
* Use all legal, diplomatic and humanitarian capacities to protect Afghan women and human rights defenders;
* Pursue the release of all detained women and civil society activists.
The signatories also emphasized that ignoring human rights violations could have far-reaching consequences for the state of fundamental rights and freedoms in Afghanistan, and called on the international community to prioritize the protection of the rights of Afghan women in its policies.
The petition was published in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026, and, according to the organizers, was prepared and presented in solidarity with Afghan women and the protesting citizens of Herat.
Geneva Activists’ Petition to UN; Request for Investigation into Women’s Rights Violations and Events in Herat
