Amnesty Urges Protection For Afghan Women

The office of women's affairs in Kandahar (file photo) (epa) September 27, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Amnesty International has condemned the recent killing of Safia Ahmad Jan, the head of women's affairs for the Afghan province of Kandahar.

The rights group says the September 25 killing by suspected Taliban gunmen signals an urgent need for greater protection for all women human rights defenders in Afghanistan.


The group is concerned that Ahmad Jan was targeted specifically for her work on ending discrimination and violence against women.


Amnesty International has renewed its call to the Taliban leadership to ensure that those under its authority immediately halt all attacks against civilians and the harassment of women.


It has also called on Afghanistan's government to urgently strengthen its effort to provide adequate protection for human rights defenders.

The Afghan Insurgency

The Afghan Insurgency

A U.S. military vehicle damaged by insurgents near Kandahar (epa)

HOMEGROWN OR IMPORTED? As attacks against Afghan and international forces continue relentlessly, RFE/RL hosted a briefing to discuss the nature of the Afghan insurgency. The discussion featured Marvin Weinbaum, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and RFE/RL Afghanistan analyst Amin Tarzi.


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