At least 800 instances of human rights violations, including more than 200 extrajudicial executions, were recorded in Afghanistan between August 2021 and June 2023, a United Nations report published on Tuesday reveals.
The violations, committed by Taliban authorities against members of the former Afghan government, include arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture and ill-treatment, and enforced disappearances, in addition to the extrajudicial executions, according to the UN.
“I urge the de facto authorities to carefully consider the findings of this report and to respect their obligations under international human rights law by preventing further violations and holding perpetrators to account,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.
Interviewees of the UN mission in Afghanistan described torture, such as beatings with pipes or cables, verbal threats and abuse, among other things.
In some cases, the individuals were never found, the report points out. As an example, the former director of the Herat women’s prison, Alia Azizi, never returned from work on 2 October 2021, and her whereabouts are still unknown.
Upon their return to power, the Taliban announced a general amnesty for all Afghans who had worked with the previous government and US-led Nato forces over the previous two decades.
In response to the UN report, the Taliban foreign ministry denied rights abuses by members of its security forces. The Taliban said it had taken action against those who had committed crimes after the general amnesty came into force.
