On August 15, 2021, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, leading to severe consequences for Afghans, particularly women and girls. Over the past three years, the Taliban have systematically stripped women of their fundamental rights, including the right to education, work and freedom of movement. Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are banned from secondary education. The Taliban have increased their enforcement of their repressive policies against women including detaining women for their “bad hijab” and arresting teachers for running secret classes for girls.  

The Taliban’s abolition of the constitution and independent judiciary has contributed to the widespread injustice and human rights abuses. In the absence of legal protections, there has been full immunity for violent attacks against former government employees, human rights defenders, journalists, and women’s rights activists. The country has witnessed numerous arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings, creating an atmosphere of fear that has forced millions to flee.

Rawadari has continuously monitored and documented these violations, despite severe and increasing restrictions on access to information by the Taliban. From August 15, 2021, to June 30, 2024, Rawadari has recorded 9,276 cases of human rights violations, nearly half of which involve the right to life. These include targeted killings, civilian casualties from attacks, enforced disappearances, illegal detentions and cruel punishments.

Key findings include:

• 4,737 cases of violations of the right to life, including extrajudicial killings and casualties from attacks.
• 3,213 cases of arbitrary detentions, including 222 women.
  • 531 journalists, civil activists, and human rights defenders detained, with 8 female protesters killed.
  • 719 cases of former government employees and family members being detained or killed.
• 32 men were killed due to torture in Taliban prisons.
• 90 citizens forcibly disappeared, including 14 women.
• 1,202 individuals subjected to cruel punishments, including public executions.

Rawadari has shared the findings of its continuous monitoring through 9 public human rights reports, briefings to UN Human Rights Council and UN Security Council as well as submissions to international human rights mechanisms. Rawadari continues to call for stronger accountability measures and supports an all-tools approach to address the ongoing gender persecution in Afghanistan.