CELAC Is Concerned About Future of The Afghan People

On Monday, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) expressed concern about the future of the Afghan people since the Taliban seizure of power threatens the security and integrity of this population.

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Despite the general amnesty that the Taliban decreed after occupying Kabul on August 15, CELAC members fear for the rights of women, LGBTI people, and religious minorities that remain in Afghanistan.

A Taliban fighter stopped me on the street and asked, 'By wearing those clothes, don't you fear God?' Although I backed off, he approached and started whipping me with a metal wire," gender activist Raha Sizdah said, adding that she has lived in hiding since that incident.

Currently, most gay people do not leave home either for fear of losing their lives. "I have lost touch with my friends and I do not think I can carry on my college studies. My couple is stuck in a different city with his family. I cannot go there, he cannot come here," Abdul, as he asked to be called, stated.

Fear of persecution by the Taliban has pushed thousands of citizens to try to leave Afghanistan through humanitarian assistance operations that several countries and international organizations are carrying out in Kabul airport.

Last week, Costa Rica’s Vice President Epsy Campbell announced that her country would receive 48 Afghan women who have been working with the United Nations (UN). "We must unite for the life and rights of the citizens of Afghanistan. They need us!” she highlighted.

On Tuesday, Mexico's Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard celebrated the arrival of the first Afghan applicants for humanitarian status in his country. "The refugees are women who defend a dream: a world with gender equality. Welcome!" he stated, adding that visa applications are being processed through the Mexican embassy in Iran given that his country has no diplomatic missions in Afghanistan.

Ecuador also opened its borders to welcome vulnerable Afghan families. "We are not indifferent to conflicts in which human rights are violated. Therefore, we will continue to join efforts to assist this conflict’s victims, who deserve to live with security and dignity,” President Guillermo Lasso’s administration stated.