Afghans Face Worsening Rights Abuses Under Taliban Rule, Says Rights Group
Afghanistan is experiencing a deepening human rights crisis under Taliban rule, according to Amnesty International’s annual report released on Tuesday.
Afghanistan is experiencing a deepening human rights crisis under Taliban rule, according to Amnesty International’s annual report released on Tuesday.
The organisation warns that Afghan women and girls are enduring what it describes as crimes against humanity in the form of gender persecution.
The report highlights an alarming deterioration in civil liberties, noting that women and girls are being increasingly denied their rights to freedom of movement and expression. Access to healthcare has become more restricted, and education beyond grade six remains banned for girls.
Amnesty International also raised concerns about the continued targeting of the Shia Hazara community, primarily through attacks by the Islamic State (ISIS). The report accuses the Taliban administration of systematically excluding women and ethnic and religious minorities from political participation and from access to public and humanitarian services.
Criticising the United Nations and the wider international community, Amnesty said both have failed to address widespread impunity for past and ongoing crimes in Afghanistan.
Executions and Torture in Taliban Prisons
Amnesty’s report also details a worsening situation in Taliban-run prisons, where hundreds of Afghan detainees have reportedly been sentenced to death, often without fair trial guarantees.
Despite international concern over due process violations, the Taliban have resumed public executions, frequently carrying them out in stadiums and open spaces. Citing data from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Amnesty noted the execution of three individuals in February and one in November last year, followed by four more executions across three provinces in April this year.
According to Amnesty, Taliban courts sentenced between 300 and 600 prisoners to death as of July last year. The report further warned that the group may resume stoning as a punishment for adultery, based on media reports from March.
The organisation estimates that approximately 20,000 people are currently held in Taliban prisons, including around 1,500 women many of whom are believed to be political prisoners. The report accuses the Taliban of subjecting detainees to torture, enforced disappearances, and other mistreatment.
Former government employees, human rights defenders, journalists, and critics are among those reportedly targeted. The report also condemns ongoing restrictions on the media, including arbitrary arrests of journalists and severe curbs on freedom of expression.
As of now, the Taliban administration has not issued a response to Amnesty International’s findings.
