[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 15, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





INTRODUCTION OF RESOLUTION TO EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH AND REAFFIRM THE 
  DIRE NEED TO PROTECT VULNERABLE AND MINORITY POPULATIONS AND THEIR 
                ALLIES IN AFGHANISTAN UNDER TALIBAN RULE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANDRE CARSON-

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 15, 2022

  Mr. CARSON. Madam Speaker, I am proud to introduce a bicameral 
resolution today, to express solidarity with and reaffirm the dire need 
to protect vulnerable and minority populations and their allies in 
Afghanistan under Taliban rule. I thank my Senate Colleague, Senator 
Markey, for his leadership on this urgent human rights issue.
  The United States spent over twenty years in Afghanistan, in an 
endless war. It was crucial that we leave, and I applaud President 
Biden for commanding this effort and not leaving it as a task for yet 
another President. There is no good way to end a war without a decisive 
resolution; however, what we must not do is not leave innocent Afghan 
people behind. We cannot abandon the innocent women, children and 
families who have suffered through this war. We have a moral obligation 
to ensure that they are left with some system of government that 
respects and honors the international standards of human rights that 
our country has helped establish.
  Reports have shown that Taliban fighters have explicitly targeted 
religious and ethnic minorities, abusing them with impunity, and have 
threatened Afghan journalists with violence. Similar reporting shows 
that the Taliban continue to target LGBTQI individuals, forcing them 
into hiding due to the threat of physical violence and attacks 
perpetrated by Taliban fighters. Women, in particular, are facing dire 
circumstances. Despite promises to the contrary, the Taliban leadership 
have re-instituted many of the draconian measures that characterized 
their previous rule. Restrictions on their freedom of movement, 
punishments for dress code violations, and constraints on their 
occupational and educational opportunities all severely limit the 
future of Afghan women--and subject them to gross injustices and 
violence.
  The rapidly deteriorating human rights conditions in the country are 
exacerbated by the worsening humanitarian crisis, by which vulnerable 
and minority communities are disproportionately impacted.
  I am proud to introduce this resolution today, which calls on the 
Biden Administration to work closely with the international community 
and nongovernmental organizations to support at-risk Afghan 
communities, including efforts to counter the growing humanitarian 
crisis that unduly impacts already vulnerable groups.
  Madam Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in calling for the 
protection of vulnerable and minority communities in Afghanistan under 
Taliban rule, especially during this humanitarian crisis.

                          ____________________