Global Inaction Fuels Taliban's Human Rights Violations

The international community has come under fire from Human Rights Watch (HRW) for its inaction regarding Afghanistan's ongoing human rights abuses since the Taliban's takeover in 2021, as reported by Khaama Press. Marking the fourth anniversary, HRW criticized the lack of any effective accountability measures despite ample evidence of the Taliban's oppressive measures, which include bans on girls' education, severe restrictions on women's rights, suppression of dissent, and arbitrary arrests of journalists.

HRW has urged the UN Human Rights Council to swiftly establish an independent international body tasked with monitoring, documenting, and investigating human rights violations in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The organization also called on the European Union to propose such a mechanism in their upcoming annual resolution to the Council, underscoring the critical need for an international response. HRW cautioned that continued global inaction emboldens the Taliban, allowing them to enact misogynistic and authoritarian policies without repercussion, a factor contributing to Afghanistan's escalating humanitarian crisis.

Following the Taliban's intensification of its crackdown on women, journalists, and political critics since August 2021, HRW highlighted the reversal of years of progress in human rights. Additionally, the forced deportation of 1.9 million Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan, coupled with diminishing international humanitarian aid, has further exacerbated the situation. HRW stressed the dangers of global passivity, warning that it risks legitimizing Taliban rule and worsening abuses. As the crisis deepens, the organization calls for immediate and coordinated international action to hold the Taliban accountable.

(With inputs from agencies.)