RASC News Agency: The Independent Coalition of Afghanistani Women’s Protest Movements has issued a statement condemning the increasing human rights abuses perpetrated by the Taliban. On Thursday, January 23, the coalition described the detention of journalists and civil society activists as a flagrant violation of human rights and an existential threat to press freedom. The coalition labeled the Taliban’s violent conduct and arbitrary arrests as direct contraventions of international commitments, particularly the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It has called for an immediate end to unlawful detentions and demanded the unconditional release of all individuals wrongfully imprisoned.
The statement urged international organizations to vigilantly monitor and enforce human rights obligations and appealed to the global community to take decisive action to protect the rights of journalists and activists within Afghanistan. The coalition also called on Afghanistani citizens to unite and resist the Taliban’s oppressive regime. Expressing solidarity with victims of human rights violations, it reiterated its unwavering commitment to the defense of free expression and press freedom. The statement underscored that the ethnoreligious Taliban regime has, since reclaiming power, imposed draconian restrictions on women and girls, effectively confining half the nation’s population under the guise of implementing Islamic Sharia.
Furthermore, the coalition accused the Taliban of systematically targeting Tajik youth, alleging that tens of thousands have been detained, tortured, or executed under accusations of affiliating with the National Resistance Front, the Freedom Front, or the former government’s security apparatus. Over their two and a half years of rule, the Taliban have enforced tribal and ethnocentric laws under the pretense of “Islamic Sharia,” exacerbating societal injustices and deepening oppression.
