NEW DELHI: Friba Rezayee, Afghanistan’s pioneering female judoka and the country’s first woman to compete in the Olympics, has launched a campaign urging the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to exclude Afghanistan from the upcoming Paris Games due to the Taliban’s human rights violations.
Rezayee, who represented Afghanistan at the 2004 Athens Olympics, has been deeply troubled by the treatment of women since the Taliban’s resurgence and advocates for the IOC to take a stand against the oppressive regime.
She has called attention to the Taliban’s brutal treatment of women and children, emphasizing the danger of allowing them to participate in the Paris Games.
“If the IOC allows them to enter the Olympics in the heart of Europe, in Paris in 2024, it’s very dangerous for the people,” Rezayee warned, citing the grave human rights violations committed by the Taliban.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban administration, declined to comment on Rezayee’s plea.
Despite the Taliban’s claims to respect women’s rights within the framework of Islamic law, they have imposed severe restrictions on women’s freedoms, including closing girls’ schools, imposing travel restrictions, and limiting access to public spaces.
In response to Rezayee’s call, the IOC referred to a statement by James Macleod, its Director of National Olympic Committee Relations and Olympic Solidarity, expressing the organization’s commitment to dialogue with Afghanistan’s sporting authorities to address the restrictions on women’s access to sports.
Rezayee, who once believed her Olympic participation would pave the way for progress in women’s rights, now laments the regression under the Taliban’s rule. She has been an outspoken advocate for women’s rights and gender equality, despite facing threats for her activism.
“I believe that my principles and the principles of human rights, women’s rights and women’s dignity are stronger than men with guns,” Rezayee asserted, highlighting her unwavering commitment to advocating for the rights of Afghan women.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Rezayee, who represented Afghanistan at the 2004 Athens Olympics, has been deeply troubled by the treatment of women since the Taliban’s resurgence and advocates for the IOC to take a stand against the oppressive regime.
She has called attention to the Taliban’s brutal treatment of women and children, emphasizing the danger of allowing them to participate in the Paris Games.
“If the IOC allows them to enter the Olympics in the heart of Europe, in Paris in 2024, it’s very dangerous for the people,” Rezayee warned, citing the grave human rights violations committed by the Taliban.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban administration, declined to comment on Rezayee’s plea.
Despite the Taliban’s claims to respect women’s rights within the framework of Islamic law, they have imposed severe restrictions on women’s freedoms, including closing girls’ schools, imposing travel restrictions, and limiting access to public spaces.
In response to Rezayee’s call, the IOC referred to a statement by James Macleod, its Director of National Olympic Committee Relations and Olympic Solidarity, expressing the organization’s commitment to dialogue with Afghanistan’s sporting authorities to address the restrictions on women’s access to sports.
Rezayee, who once believed her Olympic participation would pave the way for progress in women’s rights, now laments the regression under the Taliban’s rule. She has been an outspoken advocate for women’s rights and gender equality, despite facing threats for her activism.
“I believe that my principles and the principles of human rights, women’s rights and women’s dignity are stronger than men with guns,” Rezayee asserted, highlighting her unwavering commitment to advocating for the rights of Afghan women.
(With inputs from Reuters)
