Afghanistan: a report by several NGOs denounces a “litany of abuses” by the Taliban – franceinfo

The Taliban in power in Afghanistan “systematically dismantle the advances in terms of human rights achieved over the past twenty years”, denounce three NGOs in a report published Tuesday, September 21, listing a series of exactions and abuses that have occurred since mid-August.

“The Taliban tried to persuade the world that they were going to respect human rights, but the information on the ground shows a completely different reality,” according to the report produced by Amnesty International, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organization against Torture (OMCT). The latter call on the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigative mechanism to identify these abuses and fight against impunity.

The report documents a “litany” human rights violations: intimidation and repression of women, human rights defenders, reprisals against officials of the former government, attacks on freedom of expression. Based in particular on a dozen direct testimonies, the report covers a period from August 15, when Kabul fell to the Taliban, to September 12.

He thus quotes the testimony of a human rights defender who managed to flee the country, describing the “climate of fear” maintained by the Taliban and how two of his colleagues were beaten with lashes. Or that of two female journalists from Kabul who, undergoing threats and intimidation, ended up leaving the capital for one and the country for the other.

“As a result of the climate of fear engendered by the Taliban’s seizure of power, many Afghan women today wear the burka, refrain from leaving their homes without a male guardian and cease certain activities to avoid violence and reprisals”, according to the report.