Rights abuses in Taliban-run Afghanistan have become systematic, Geneva report says
GENEVA REPORT: Human rights abuses under Taliban rule have become systematic
The Human Rights Team of the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations in Geneva has said that human rights violations in Afghanistan from 2021 to 2026 under Taliban rule have gone beyond isolated incidents and become part of the administration’s structure. The body said the result has been widespread restrictions on the fundamental rights of citizens and increased pressure on women, girls and other vulnerable groups.
The report, published on Friday, 23 Asad, examined civil and political rights, the rights of women and girls, economic, social and cultural rights, children’s rights, the prohibition of torture, ethnic discrimination and the rights of persons with disabilities. According to the report, the Taliban administration did not adhere to Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations during this period.
The report says broad restrictions on freedom of expression and the media, education and work for women and girls, social participation and access to services have led to violations of the fundamental rights of Afghanistan’s residents. The body stressed that these restrictions have not remained confined to one sector, but have had a chain effect on people’s daily lives.
According to the report’s findings, torture in detention centres, discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, forced displacement and the dispossession of some communities are also among Afghanistan’s serious human rights concerns. The report also referred to violations of children’s rights and the rise in early and forced marriages as part of the ongoing crisis.
The Permanent Mission of Afghanistan warned that depriving girls of education could lead to a shortage of female professionals in the coming years and further limit women’s access to health services. Alongside these concerns, the mission stressed documenting human rights violations and pursuing them through international accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court and UN human rights bodies.
In recent years, Afghanistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva has repeatedly published reports and positions on the human rights situation in Afghanistan. Geneva is one of the main centres of the United Nations human rights bodies.
