Calls Grow for Independent Probe Into Taliban Rights Abuses

Calls Grow for Independent Probe Into Taliban Rights Abuses
………..

Member states of the UN Human Rights Council have renewed calls for the creation of an independent mechanism to investigate human rights violations in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The demand came during the Council’s 60th session in Geneva, where diplomats voiced alarm at the systematic restrictions, particularly against women and girls.

Speakers highlighted the Taliban’s continued policies excluding women from education, employment, and public life, alongside tightened restrictions on healthcare access and rising levels of gender-based violence. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that Afghanistan had become a “stark example of systematic exclusion of women,” with maternal mortality risks mounting under these constraints.

Reports also expressed concern for children, noting that many under 18 are detained for minor offenses or without adequate legal protection, leaving them vulnerable to abuse. Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett urged the establishment of an independent investigative body to complement the work of the UN mission and the International Criminal Court, stressing that further delays would worsen the crisis.

Delegates cited ongoing corporal punishments, suppression of basic freedoms, and forced deportations of Afghan migrants, which some warned could amount to crimes against humanity. Several states, including the EU, underscored that lasting stability requires an inclusive political process guaranteeing women’s participation.