RASC News Agency: Human Rights Watch has reported a severe deterioration in human rights conditions in Afghanistan during 2024. The organization attributed the worsening situation to the Taliban’s intensified oppression of women and girls, calling on the international community to apply stronger pressure on the regime. In its report, released on Thursday, January 16, Human Rights Watch analyzed human rights practices in nearly 100 countries, identifying Afghanistan as a critical example of systemic decline.
Freshtah Abbasi, a prominent advocate for Afghanistani rights, stated: “Three years into Taliban rule, the suppression of fundamental rights and freedoms has reached unprecedented levels. Governments must take decisive action to pressure the Taliban into ending their systemic violence against women and girls, while also supporting the urgent establishment of a comprehensive accountability mechanism under the United Nations.”
Abbasi further stressed the necessity of international intervention, asserting that the Taliban must be compelled to respect the rights of all individuals. Since seizing power, the Taliban has banned women from attending schools and universities and has prohibited them from participating in most forms of employment. Human Rights Watch also highlighted the Taliban’s strict enforcement of its so-called “Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil” law, which prevents women from traveling or using public transportation without a male guardian, bans public singing by women, and restricts their voices from being heard outside their homes.
The organization reported that, in 2024, the Taliban arbitrarily detained and tortured journalists and other critics, further silencing dissent. It described the year as the worst for the people of Afghanistan, marked by relentless human rights abuses. Moreover, the report underscored the Taliban’s disregard for Afghanistan’s ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity, exacerbating societal divisions and fueling further instability.
