KABUL: As the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power approaches, Human Rights Watch has reported that the group has imposed severe restrictions on women and girls, detained journalists, and silenced any voices of dissent over the past four years. In a report titled “Afghanistan: Four Years Under Taliban Rule and Ongoing Brutal Repression,” published on August 5, the organization states that the country is currently facing a severe humanitarian crisis. This crisis has been exacerbated by a reduction in aid from donor countries and a large-scale return of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan. Human Rights Watch stated, “UN member states have failed over the past four years to take effective steps to end the ongoing serious human rights violations in Afghanistan.” The report also calls on the European Union to propose the establishment of a comprehensive accountability mechanism for Afghanistan in its annual resolution scheduled for approval by the Human Rights Council in September. According to Farah Abbasi, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s rule serves as a stark reminder of the intensification of their abuses, particularly against women and girls. She urged governments to pressure the Taliban to cease their oppressive actions. The organization described the Taliban’s Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice law, enacted in 2024, as harsh and oppressive. It noted that the Taliban conducts raids in workplaces and public spaces, monitors public areas, sets up checkpoints to inspect people’s mobile phones, and interrogates passengers in vehicles and pedestrians. The report highlights that the severe restrictions imposed on women by the Taliban have drastically limited their access to humanitarian and health services. Many women in Afghanistan have reported that they have lived like prisoners over the past four years.
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