Ravadari Says Taliban Have Arbitrarily Detained More Than 6,000 People in Afghanistan
The human rights organisation Ravadari has said that over the past five years, the Taliban administration has unlawfully and arbitrarily detained at least 6,043 people in Afghanistan, a trend it says is still continuing and has raised concerns about increased pressure on civil society and human rights institutions.
On Saturday, 24 Asad, Ravadari said that among those detained were 643 civil activists, journalists and human rights defenders, and 646 former government employees. Based on the organisation’s findings, another 1,366 people were detained on accusations of cooperation with, membership of, or links to groups opposing the Taliban administration.
The human rights body also reported that at least 51 prisoners have died as a result of severe torture in Taliban detention centres, while 171 others have been forcibly disappeared. This part of the report highlights the more serious dimensions of the consequences of arbitrary arrests.
Ravadari added that during this period the Taliban administration also enacted and implemented laws including the “Law on Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” and the “Criminal Procedure Code”, regulations it says are in conflict with human rights standards and Afghanistan’s international obligations.
In the latest case, six employees of a human rights organisation were also detained by the Taliban administration, an action that has further increased concerns about pressure on human rights institutions and civil activists. Ravadari is a human rights organisation that documents and reports human rights violations in Afghanistan.
