World Must Change Dire Human Rights Situation in Afghanistan, Says UN Special Rapporteur

The Taliban haven’t reacted to the Afghanistan Freedom Front’s statement.

The Front has called on the Taliban to stop detentions, torture, and imprisonment of former Afghan security forces and has warned the Taliban that if the group continues to oppress former Afghan security forces, more members of the Taliban will be killed in targeted killings.

According to human rights organisations, despite the general amnesty given by the Taliban since their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have continuously arrested and killed former Afghan security forces.

Local sources told Afghanistan International that these residents of Panjshir had taken permission from the Taliban to transport their cattle beforehand, but the Taliban didn’t pay heed to their superior’s permission letter and transferred them to the Dashtak detention center.

Taliban officials in Panjshir have not reacted to the issue so far.

Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, many international organisations and local residents have reported about detentions, torture, and killing of residents of Panjshir province by the Taliban.

The World Food Program had previously reported that nine out of 10 people in Afghanistan do not have access to enough food and families are unable to provide healthy food for their children.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the country has been facing a serious economic and humanitarian crisis.

The United Nations had previously announced that more than 95 percent of Afghan citizens live below the poverty line.

The EU Special Representative for Afghanistan addressed a meeting which was held aimed at examining the "regional impact of Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover” at the EU parliament.

Niklasson stressed that many people question the survival of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

He added that during his recent trip to Kabul and in his meetings with regional actors he has learned that fewer people see the Taliban as the only reality in Afghanistan, compared to six months back.

Niklasson added that many still see the Taliban as the most important part of Afghan society, certainly as the most important actor, but many believe that in a few years, the prospect of change exists.

The EU Special Representative added that regional actors prioritise the fight against terrorism over women's rights, which he said has been problematic.

The heads of the three Taliban government bodies signed a memorandum of understanding on electronic revenue collection on Tuesday.

Faqir Mohammad Ziad, head of the Taliban Statistics and Information Authority, said that the digital collection of revenues will create more transparency and facilitate the Afghan citizens’ access to the system.

He asked the Taliban Central Bank to encourage private banks to introduce the online banking system for their customers.

Taliban officials said that the revenues of most government offices have been collected electronically.