KABUL - Afghanistan’s Second Vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish, referring to the recent spate of targeted killings in the country, said on Thursday that the enemies of Afghanistan are attacking the achievements of the nation.
“The enemy has targeted the (nation's) gains to create fear and chaos and disappointment, or to provoke the people against each other, to create distance between the people and the government, to score points in the peace process or to push the talks toward a stalemate,” said Danish at the National Human Rights Defenders Conference.
Danish said "the enemy" has attacked rule of law, human rights, freedom of speech, journalists, judges and human rights defenders.
Meanwhile, other speakers expressed grave concern over what they described as imminent threats facing the human rights activists.
Addressing the conference, officials from the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said that the number of targeted killings has increased by 50 percent this year compared to a year before.
According to AIHRC statistics, 23 human rights defenders were killed in Afghanistan over the past year.
In the meantime, the European Union (EU) has urged the need for an investigation to be launched into the targeted killings in the country.
The Committee of Human Rights Defenders include religious scholars, local influential people and the political leaders.
“The targeted killings are really a concerning issue. Over the first six months of the year, the scale of targeted killings registered by the human rights commission shows a 50 percent increase. Unfortunately, targeted killings happen all over Afghanistan. Journalists, human rights activists, religious scholars are the victims of targeted killings,” said Shaharzad Akbar, chairperson of the AIHRC.
“The bad consequence of targeted killing is that no one feels safe, no one dares to participate in social activities--in the media or in forums about issues of national interest--to criticize or express personal views. All of this then has an impact on the peace process,” added Akbar.
An EU representative spoke at the conference:
"In the last few months, we have seen several targeted attacks against journalists, civil society activists and prosecutors. It is becoming more and more difficult for human rights defenders, civil society and media representatives to do their work. I have also understood that ACSFo
(Afghanistan Civil Society Forum) later in the conference will present additional findings when it comes to threats against human rights defenders. I reiterate our expectation that all these attacks and targeted killings are thoroughly and transparently investigated by relevant authorities, and that effective measures are taken to protect human rights defenders and media representatives. The perpetrators must be brought to justice,”said Arnout Pauwels, deputy head of the EU Delegation in Afghanistan.
“The murders of doctors and nurses trying to bring much needed medical assistance to prisoners, the political assassination of the journalist in Ghazni and then Yousuf Rasheed, a friend to many here and many also in UNAMA, these are very shocking events,” said Steve Brooking, Special Adviser and Director of Peace and Reconciliation at UNAMA.
Over the past two months journalists, prosecutors and human rights defenders were killed in targeted attacks.
On Thursday, the Afghan women’s rights activist Freshta Kohistani was assassinated, along with her brother, by unknown gunmen in Dahno village of Hes-e-Awal in Kohistan district of Kapisa province, a security source told TOLOnews on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Yousuf Rasheed, CEO of the Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA), was killed by unknown gunmen in Kabul city.
“The last months in Afghanistan have seen a worrying trend of systematic targeted attacks and killings of journalists, human rights defenders, civil society representatives and civil servants,” said EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
"The EU expects transparent and thorough investigations of all these attacks and assassinations. The perpetrators and those ordering these crimes, regardless of affiliation, should be held accountable in fair trials," Borrell said.
"UNAMA mourns the loss of so many outstanding citizens, condemns those responsible and urges authorities to bring them to account,” the UN organization said in a statement. 
“Targeted killings of civilians are taking place at a deeply disturbing rate in Afghanistan,” it said, adding that “In the last four days alone Afghanistan has seen the killing of a well-known journalist, a group of medics and head of a leading election watchdog. Such dreadful attacks are rarely claimed and frequently focus on those working for an open society," said UNAMA.
“The UN repeats its call for a sustained reduction in violence. Lives and gains must be protected, with spoilers prevented from undermining the vital peace negotiations, due to resume 5 January,” it added.
No group, including the Taliban, has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Yousuf Rasheed was a very popular civil society activist.
This comes a dramatic surge in a targeted killing in Afghanistan over the past two months.
On Tuesday, five doctors were killed.
On Sunday, A journalist in Ghazni, Rahmatullah Nikzad, was killed in an attack by armed men outside his home in Ghazni.
Other recent victims are Yama Siawash, former TOLOnews anchor, and Malalai Maiwand, a journalist and women’s rights activist. (TOLO NEWS)