The activist group Amnesty International has urged NATO leaders to keep their promises on safeguarding human rights in discussions about a future withdrawal from Afghanistan at a summit in Lisbon, DPA reported.
"These promises seem about to be discarded without fanfare, but the need for improving the human rights situation in Afghanistan is even more urgent now," Amnesty said in a statement released in London on Thursday.
The human rights group said it had sent letters to NATO leaders urging them to improve accountability for Afghan and international military forces, tackle arbitrary detention and torture and ensure human rights guarantees during any talks with the Taliban.
"As NATO begins to discuss its withdrawal from Afghanistan, it's crucial to explain to the Afghan people exactly how the international community will follow through on its promise to protect and promote their human rights," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Programme Director.
The two-day NATO summit is due to open in Lisbon on Friday.
Amnesty said it had identified concrete steps to improve governance, uphold the rule of law and human rights that would enhance security and stability for the Afghan people.
They included demands for a guarantee on the protection of human rights in any future talks with sections of the Taliban.
"Amnesty International calls on delegates to the NATO summit to ensure that human rights, including women's rights, are not traded away or compromised during any political process, including reconciliation talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan."