Recent remarks by Saida Mirziyoyeva, daughter of the president of Uzbekistan, have drawn widespread reactions from Afghan women’s protest movements and a number of Afghan civil society activists.
In a statement, Afghan women’s protest movements and civil society activists called on senior Uzbek officials to conduct the country’s political and economic relations with the Taliban based on international commitments and respect for human rights.
The reactions came following a recent speech by Saida Mirziyoyeva at the United Nations General Assembly. Afghan women activists praised Uzbekistan’s achievements in women’s political participation but described Mirziyoyeva’s failure to mention the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan in her UN General Assembly speech as regrettable.
They said that Afghan women and girls have been deprived of access to education, employment, and a number of their fundamental rights for nearly five years. In their view, supporting women’s rights in Uzbekistan while remaining silent about the widespread restrictions imposed on women in Afghanistan is a contradiction that should not be ignored.
The signatories of the statement also criticized approaches that examine developments in Afghanistan solely from economic and security perspectives. They warned that normalizing human rights violations while engaging with the Taliban could contribute to the normalization of the current situation in Afghanistan.
They emphasized that political and social participation without the presence of half of Afghanistan’s population cannot lead to stability and lasting peace in the country.
The group called on Uzbekistan to link any engagement with the Taliban to the restoration of the fundamental rights of Afghan women and girls. They also called on regional countries to treat what they describe as “gender apartheid” in Afghanistan as a serious human rights issue and address it through international mechanisms.
Afghan women activists also called for educational opportunities to be provided for Afghan girls and women and for women to have meaningful participation in meetings related to Afghanistan.
Another part of the statement said that the suppression of women in Afghanistan is not merely a domestic issue but could also pose a risk to regional stability. Therefore, according to the signatories, the situation of women’s rights should not be overlooked in the face of geopolitical considerations.
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