Afghanistan

Amnesty International reiterates call on Taliban to end human rights violations in Afghanistan

Taliban members in Kabul in the early days of the Republic government. File photo.

Amnesty International in a statement on Monday condemned the Taliban for continuing a pattern of “human rights abuses, gender-based persecution, torture, arbitrary detentions, and censorship” three years into their rule and reiterated its call on the Taliban to end their ongoing violations of human rights in the country.

“Since the Taliban seized power in 2021, Afghanistan has faced an escalating human rights crisis,” the statement said.

According to Amnesty International, Afghan women have been stripped of all aspects of public life, while abuses such as torture, mistreatment, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and censorship persist with impunity.

The organization also warned that the resurgence of corporal punishment and the absence of an independent judiciary have worsened the human rights situation in Afghanistan, denying victims access to justice.

Tarina Wood, a human rights advocate for Afghanistan, told Amnesty International, “It astonishes me that the international community still expects the Taliban to respect human rights.”

She emphasized, “Even as the people of Afghanistan remain trapped in this endless nightmare, the international community has failed to take meaningful action. A strong commitment from governments worldwide is essential to end this cycle of oppression.”

Amnesty International has also launched a petition urging the global community to take “strong and unified action” against the Taliban’s violations of international law in Afghanistan and to hold the group accountable for its human rights abuses.

The organization stressed that all possible measures must be used to pressure the Taliban to respect the rights of women and girls, end gender-based persecution, and create a space for the meaningful participation of women in social, political, and cultural spheres.