WUNRN
AFGHANISTAN - ATTACK ON FEMALE
POLITICIAN HIGHLIGHTS
GROWING RISK FOR AFGHAN WOMEN IN
PUBLIC LIFE
8 April 2010
The shooting of a female Afghan politician on Monday demonstrates the
fragility of the modest gains made by Afghan women after the fall of the
Taleban, Amnesty International said on Thursday.
Nida Khyani, a female Provincial Council member, was left in critical condition
after being attacked in a drive-by shooting in Pul-e-Khumri, the provincial
capital of Baghlan in northern Afghanistan.
"Nida Khyani is yet another casualty of the systematic violent targeting
of women in public life in Afghanistan," said Sam Zarifi, Director of
Amnesty International's Asia Pacific programme.
"The Afghan government and the international troops supporting it have
failed to adequately protect women working in public office and as human rights
defenders," said Sam Zarifi. "The ability of Afghan women to be
active outside their homes should be a key benchmark for the effectiveness of
the Afghan government and NATO troops, and in this regard, the record is quite
poor."
To date, no group has assumed responsibility for the attack.
Afghan women with public roles have faced increasing attacks over the past two
years, particularly in areas under the control of the Taleban.
Last month, a female member of the national Afghan Parliament, Fawzia Kofi, was
injured by gunfire, again attacked by unknown gunmen while traveling from
Jalalabad to Kabul.
In April last year, Sitara Achekzai, a member of the Kandahar provincial
council, lawmaker, was killed in Kandahar.
Amnesty International has received numerous further reports of attacks, threats
and harassment against women human rights defenders and female politicians in
Afghanistan.
"President Karzai's government as well as US and other NATO forces should
investigate attacks on women activists as a matter of urgency, to send a signal
that they are committed to protecting and promoting the rights of Afghan
women," Zarifi said.
The UN Declaration of Elimination of Violence Against Women calls on states to
exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and in accordance with national
legislation punish acts of violence against women, regardless of who the
perpetrators are.
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