UN Human Rights Chief: Afghanistan Has Become a ‘Graveyard for Human Rights’
Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, declared at the 61st session of the UN that the current situation in Afghanistan has transformed the country into a “graveyard for human rights.” He emphasized that the decrees issued by the Taliban administration since 2021 have plunged the lives of the people, especially women and girls, into a severe crisis.
According to Türk, the latest decree issued last month includes punishments that contradict Afghanistan’s international commitments and could lead to an increase in executions. He warned that this trend widens the gap between Afghanistan and globally accepted human rights standards.
The High Commissioner also expressed concern that, based on the new decrees, the environment for corporal punishments within families has been created; an action which, according to him, effectively legitimizes violence against women and children.
He added that currently, criticizing the leader of the Taliban administration and the group’s policies is considered a “crime,” which he described as a blatant violation of the right to freedom of expression. The suppression of dissenting voices and fundamental freedoms has sparked widespread international concern.
Volker Türk called on the Taliban leaders to repeal these new decrees and laws and align all decisions and regulations with the international legal standards to which Afghanistan had previously committed.
These remarks come amid ongoing expansions of restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, a situation many residents see as a cause of rising social and humanitarian challenges across various regions.
