Taliban Punished 449 People Corporally in First Half of Year, Watchdog Says
A new report by Genocide Watch says independent journalists, critics of the Taliban administration, civilians and former government employees face arbitrary arrests, torture, corporal punishment and executions, and do not have access to fair trials.
On Monday, Oct. 20, the group classified Afghanistan at the stage of “discrimination” because of ongoing violations of women’s rights, and placed ethnic and religious minorities, LGBTQ people and former government employees at the stage of “persecution.”
According to the report, the Taliban administration corporally punished at least 449 people in the first half of this year and arbitrarily detained 777 others. The group also said 12 public executions have been carried out in Afghanistan since 2021.
The report referred to the arrest of 45 Shiites for raising the Ashura flag, the closure of their mosques, the forced sending of Shiite children to Sunni religious schools and the forcing of 203 Shiite Muslims to change their religion. Genocide Watch said these cases were part of an attack on ethnic and religious minorities under Taliban rule.
The group added that alongside pressure from the Taliban administration, ISIS has also continued its attacks on the Hazara people and other minorities.
In another part of the report, the Taliban administration’s restrictions on women were cited as factors increasing pressure on them. According to the report, these restrictions include allowing child marriage, creating serious obstacles for women seeking divorce, banning girls from education beyond sixth grade, and arresting women over their clothing.
Genocide Watch also highlighted the role of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries in what it called the “commission of crimes,” saying the forced expulsion of about 3 million migrants has led to the enforced disappearance of some former government employees.
The group called for the extension of the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan and the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Genocide Watch also urged the United Nations to recognise “gender apartheid” as a crime.
