Afghanistan Peace Watch (APW) said the Taliban has carried out “collective punishments” against women’s rights activists, journalists, and former military personnel in the last two years.
According to the report, the Taliban failed to uphold its assurance of amnesty for former government officials and respect for women’s rights and press freedom, instead conducting a violent campaign of repression.
The organization has recorded over 1,000 incidents of violence targeting civilians by the Taliban between the fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021 and 30 June 2023.
The report added that 62 percent of all attacks have been carried out against civilians in the country.
AWP said that it has recorded over 400 “acts of violence targeting former government and security officials, with 290 incidents committed by the Taliban” from August 16, 2021, to June 2023.
“In many of the attacks carried out by unidentified assailants, local sources or families of the victims have accused the Taliban of being responsible,” the report said.
“In the nearly two years since the Taliban takeover, many former officials continue to be detained, disappeared, and killed. In some cases, families only learned about the fate of their family members when they received their bodies days after their detention,” the report added.
The human rights watchdog said that access to information in Afghanistan is restricted as the Taliban continues to crack down on journalists.
The report added that the media has had to contend with Taliban censorship and repression, including the threat of arbitrary arrest.
