Kabul [Afghanistan], August 6 : The international community has failed to take meaningful action to stop ongoing human rights abuses in Afghanistan since 2021, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement released on Tuesday, Khaama Press reported.
Marking the fourth anniversary of the Taliban's takeover, HRW said that despite extensive documentation of the group's abuses -- including bans on girls' education, extreme restrictions on women, suppression of dissent, and arbitrary arrests of journalists -- "no meaningful accountability mechanism has been established," according to Khaama Press.
The organisation urged the UN Human Rights Council to "urgently create an independent international body to monitor, document, and investigate human rights violations committed under Taliban rule." HRW also called on the European Union to include a proposal for such a mechanism in its upcoming annual resolution to the Council, stressing the urgency of an international response.
Khaama Press quoted HRW as warning that "global inaction has emboldened the Taliban to enforce misogynistic, violent, and authoritarian policies without facing consequences," which has contributed to Afghanistan's deepening humanitarian catastrophe.
Since August 2021, the Taliban have intensified their crackdown on women, journalists, and political critics, reversing years of progress in human rights and civil liberties, HRW said. The organisation also noted that the forced deportation of nearly 1.9 million Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan, combined with sharp declines in international humanitarian aid, has significantly worsened the crisis.
"Continued passivity by the global community risks legitimizing Taliban rule and its abuses," HRW stressed, urging "immediate and coordinated international efforts to hold the Taliban accountable," Khaama Press reported.
Without a comprehensive accountability framework, HRW warned, "Afghanistan's human rights situation will continue to deteriorate, leaving millions vulnerable and silencing those who seek justice."
Human Rights Watch warned that without urgent global action, Afghanistan's crisis will deepen, leaving millions at risk and silencing those fighting for justice.