HRW Calls for Independent Body to Address Human Rights Abuses in Afghanistan

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urgently urged the establishment of an independent body to hold accountable those responsible for ongoing human rights violations in Afghanistan, particularly since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021.

According to an article published by Amu TV on September 9, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) has emphasized the critical need for accountability as the humanitarian and human rights situation in Afghanistan deteriorates.

In a recent report, HRW highlighted that the Taliban’s policies have disproportionately affected women and girls, leading to what it describes as the world’s most severe women’s rights crisis. Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher at HRW, stated that the Taliban has violated fundamental rights with impunity. She called on the UN Human Rights Council to create a mechanism for gathering and preserving evidence of abuses, akin to initiatives in other conflict zones.

The report specifically pointed out the Taliban’s ban on education for girls beyond the sixth grade and their prohibition of women attending university, making Afghanistan the only country globally where such restrictions exist. Moreover, the Taliban has imposed extensive limitations on women’s employment, movement, and public participation, including bans on women playing sports and visiting parks.

HRW also raised alarms about the suppression of free expression and media in Afghanistan, where journalists face threats, arbitrary detention, and torture, contributing to a climate of fear that hampers independent reporting.

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is worsening, with over 23 million people currently experiencing hunger as economic instability deepens. Abbasi reiterated the need for an independent accountability mechanism to ensure justice and reparations for the Afghan people, who have suffered decades of abuse without redress. Previously, more than 90 organizations urged the UN Human Rights Council to recognize the situation in Afghanistan as gender apartheid and to renew the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the country.