Human Rights Groups Warn of Intensified Repression in Afghanistan Ahead of UN Human Rights Council Meeting
Several Afghan civil society organizations and international human rights bodies have expressed serious concerns over the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan ahead of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. These groups report that repression and restrictions under Taliban rule have increased in recent months, urging urgent action from the global community.
In a statement released on Tuesday, March 2, it was noted that more than four and a half years after the Taliban’s return to power, the group has systematically and institutionally expanded its repressive policies. According to the signatories, new orders and regulations issued by the Taliban administration contradict accepted human rights standards and are enforced through harsh punitive mechanisms.
The organizations emphasized that despite persistent efforts by Afghan civil society, international human rights organizations, UN special mechanisms, and several governments, the human rights situation has not improved; rather, it has markedly worsened in recent months.
The statement elaborated that since 2021, the Taliban administration has revoked many legal frameworks and policies previously adopted to protect citizens’ fundamental rights. According to these organizations, such actions violate Afghanistan’s international commitments.
The signatories reminded that Afghanistan remains bound by international treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention Against Torture, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to uphold and implement human rights obligations.
They called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to adopt a more serious approach and take effective measures in response to the current situation in Afghanistan to prevent ongoing violations of citizens’ rights.
