Human Rights Watch Reports Sharp Increase in Repression and Rights Violations in Afghanistan
Human Rights Watch has warned that the human rights situation in Afghanistan significantly deteriorated in 2025, with the Taliban administration expanding the scope of citizen repression. The organization, in its annual report released on Wednesday, January 31, stated that over the past year, the Taliban have intensified restrictions on the rights of women and girls, maintained the ban on girls’ education, and imposed new regulations further limiting media freedom and civil society activities. According to the report, these policies have deprived a large part of society from participating in public life.
The report also highlights a deepening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The widespread forced return of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan, coupled with a sharp decline in foreign aid, has left millions facing shortages of food, shelter, and healthcare services.
Human Rights Watch emphasized that the Taliban continue to carry out arbitrary executions, corporal punishments, and enforced disappearances, with no effective accountability mechanisms in place. The organization describes this pattern as a blatant violation of fundamental human rights obligations.
According to the report, LGBTQ individuals faced systematic harassment and persecution throughout 2025. In February, four men were sentenced to flogging and prison terms ranging from one to five years for homosexuality.
The report further notes that attacks by the Taliban on media outlets, civil society activists, and minority groups have not ceased, creating an environment of fear and self-censorship across many parts of the country. Human Rights Watch also identified the significant reduction in U.S. aid as a factor exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
