The Capture of Kabul and Four-Year Reign of the Taliban Government

Collapse of Kabul and the four-year talibanized rule

In the fourth year of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the country continues to grapple with one of the world’s worst human rights crises. The Taliban's strict adherence to traditional interpretations of Islam has led to severe repression, particularly targeting women's rights and religious minorities.

Women's Rights Under Threat

The Taliban's restrictions on women and girls have intensified since they took power in 2021. Women and girls are excluded from education beyond primary levels, employment opportunities are largely banned, and women are often required to be accompanied by a mahram (male guardian) in public. Enforced dress codes such as the chador (full-body covering) are strictly enforced, with penalties including bans from public spaces if not complied with. Women cannot speak in public, face death threats, and experience extreme social exclusion aimed at erasing them from public life entirely.

Religious and Ethnic Minorities Targeted

Targeted abuses against religious and ethnic minorities include arbitrary arrests, torture, and mistreatment based on identity, restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, and widespread persecution of ethnic and religious minorities. Other marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+ persons face significant discrimination and violence.

Justice System Lacks Fairness and Accountability

The justice system under the Taliban is deeply opaque and arbitrary, dismantling Afghanistan’s previous legal framework and replacing it with a harsh interpretation of Sharia law. This facilitates widespread impunity and miscarriages of justice, including public corporal punishments and torture.

International Condemnation and Concerns

The situation has drawn international condemnation, with entities such as the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Taliban leaders on charges including gender persecution as a crime against humanity. The UN and human rights organizations warn that the Taliban regime enforces an institutionalized system of oppression that crushes dissent, silences independent media, and prioritizes obedience over human rights.

Return of Refugees Exacerbates Crisis

Forced returns of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries have led to increased human rights violations against returnees, especially against women, media workers, and former government affiliates, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

UNAMA's Concerns and Attacks on Female Staff

UNAMA reported that de facto Departments for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice were applying the mahram requirement in ways not clearly specified by the law, including instructing health clinics, shops, markets, government offices, and taxi drivers to deny services to women not accompanied by a mahram. UNAMA further reported that dozens of UN female national staff were subjected to explicit death threats in relation to their work with UNAMA and other UN agencies.

Continued Persecution of the Hazara

The Hazara have been subjected to years of persecution and targeted with bombings and attacks on their schools, hospitals, and Shia mosques.

Recognition by Foreign Powers

Russia has formally recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, having to remove the designation of the Taliban as a terror organization. China is looking to do the same.

Call for Action

States must be warned that recognizing the Taliban despite its disregard for human rights standards, segregating and removing women from society, and accommodating the persecution of religious minorities cannot be accepted in the 21st century without making them complicit in the violations. The UN Women, CARE International, and other partners have published a gender alert due to a surge in returnees to Afghanistan, with women and girls accounting for a third of returnees from Iran and about half from Pakistan. The returnees are vulnerable as they arrive with little protection and support, often lacking appropriate clothes or hijab, food, contact numbers, and relatives to stay with.

The enforcement of these decrees and laws by the Taliban authorities has been arbitrary, with authorities going beyond the restrictive provisions, causing additional suffering for women and girls in the country. It is crucial that the international community continues to raise awareness and pressure the Taliban to uphold human rights and ensure the safety and well-being of all Afghan citizens, particularly women and religious minorities.