Update: Taliban Won’t Allow Visits to Jailed Workers
The Taliban has denied U.S., Australian and German diplomats’ requests to see jailed foreign aid workers from Shelter Now International. The 8 foreign aid workers along with 16 Afghan workers were jailed last week by the Taliban for “preaching Christianity.” The Taliban has said all 24 workers should be tried in the Taliban’s extremist “Shariat” court, where the workers could face the death penalty. The Taliban has been imposing increasing restrictions on foreign aid workers over the past several months.
5/20/2013 Afghan Violence Against Women Law Blocked in Parliament - On Saturday, the Speaker of the Lower House of Afghan Parliament delayed a vote on the Elimination of Violence against Women law after two hours of vociferous debate between conservative religious and more liberal members of Parliament. . . .
5/20/2013 Walmart, American Retailers Refuse to Join Bangladesh Accord - Walmart, along with 13 other major North American companies, refused to sign a legally binding agreement to improve working conditions for overseas factory workers that manufacture their clothes after a garment factory collapsed in Bangladesh killing an estimated 1300 workers, the New York Times reports.
The agreement requires retailers pay $500,000 to improve worker safety measures over a five year period. . . .
