In view of Afghan Taliban policies banning girls and women from schools, colleges, and universities and from running businesses such as beauty salons, walking alone in streets, or working in offices, women's groups in Afghanistan recently demanded a boycott of the Third Doha Meeting, June 30-July 1, 2024, to be held in the capital of Qatar. According to a June 13 media report, the Independent Coalition of Afghan Women's Protest Movements called for a total boycott of the Doha meeting, stating that Doha has emerged as an "unholy place" and a "bitter platform" as far as the people of Afghanistan and their rights are concerned.
On June 2, the Women's Council of the National Resistance Front (NRF) of Afghanistan, a major anti-Taliban resistance group, also called for a boycott of the Doha meeting. "Meetings about Afghanistan can be effective when they are held with the presence of real representatives of the Afghan people, while the Taliban, who came to power through war, killing and bargaining, do not deserve this position," it stated.
Following is a translation of the Dari-language text of the June 13 statement: [1]
"The Independent Coalition Of Afghan Women's Protest Movements Has Demanded That The Taliban Officials Be Prosecuted By The International Court For Suppressing Women And Girls"
"The Position Of Protesting Women In Response To The Doha Meeting: Doha Has Been A Bitter Platform For The People Of Afghanistan.
"A group of protesting women, in the form of the Independent Coalition of Afghan Women's Protest Movements, has taken a position regarding the holding of the third round of the Doha meeting. The Independent Coalition of Afghan Women's Protest Movements has said that it 'boycotts any meeting, understanding, and interaction with the Taliban'...
"By issuing a resolution, this coalition called Doha 'an unholy place and a bitter platform for the people of Afghanistan.' The Independent Coalition of Afghan Women's Protest Movements has demanded that the Taliban officials be prosecuted by the international court for suppressing women and girls. The Coalition's resolution states: 'The Taliban have violated and trampled all values, international covenants, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.'
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"It is also stated in a part of the resolution of the Independent Coalition of Women's Protest Movements: 'The people of Afghanistan hate any meeting that leads to the whitewashing of the Taliban, and they consider the organizers of such meetings to be equally murderers of the Afghan people.' It should be noted that the third round of the Doha meeting, which is scheduled to be held on the 10 of Saratan of this year [1403 Solar Hijri], has faced serious criticism.
"A group of anti-Taliban political and military movements centered on the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan also issued a statement condemning the invitation to the terrorist Taliban to the Doha meeting and demanded the presence of real representatives of the Afghan people in that meeting."
Following is the text of the June 2 report, as translated from Dari:[2]
"The Taliban Have Never Been Able To Establish A Bond With Our People, Gain Legitimacy, Or Create A Government For The Country Today; Therefore, They Cannot Represent Our People"
"The Women's Council of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan considers the Third Doha Meeting [on Afghanistan], where negotiations with the Taliban terrorist group are to be discussed, to be against human rights, and Islamic and human values, against the interests of Afghanistan, and boycotts it.
"This council – which consists of active and resistant women in the fields of human rights, women's rights and civil society of Afghanistan – knows very well that the Taliban are an extremist group affiliated with international terrorist networks and are considered the initiator and the main cause of gender apartheid in Afghanistan.
"The politics and ideology of this group is based on discrimination and bigotry..., and their performance for several years clearly shows that this criminal group does not adhere to any human values and human rights conventions. The Taliban have never been able to establish a bond with our people, gain legitimacy, or create a government for the country today. Therefore, they cannot represent our people. Negotiating with such a group has unfortunate and serious consequences for Afghanistan, the region, and the world.
"Currently, we need to fight all-out against extremist groups like the Taliban, who have imprisoned more than half of Afghanistan's population, namely women, and use all the means to weaken this section. The policy of appeasing and paying ransom to such a blood-shedding group only adds to their evil and oppresses our people more than ever and removes women from the social life.
"The Women's Council of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan urges all institutions, freedom seekers and awakened consciences to boycott the Third Doha Meeting and request the United Nations to listen to the voice of the Afghan people and reconsider this decision.
"Meetings about Afghanistan can be effective when they are held with the presence of real representatives of the Afghan people, while the Taliban, who came to power through war, killing and bargaining, do not deserve this position. Any type of deal with this group not only does not solve the problem, but also deepens the disaster and prolongs its life.
"The Women's Council of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan asks all freedom-loving, justice-seeking forces, human rights and women's rights activists to sign this call."
