News
- ICC files arrest warrants against Taliban officials for crimes against humanityInternational Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim AA Khan announced on Thursday that his office has filed applications for arrest warrants before the Pre-trial Chamber against two leading Taliban officials accused of committing crimes against humanity. These applications stem from thorough investigations conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office and are part of a… Read more »
- CNN reaches $5M settlement with US Navy veteran in defamation caseCNN reached a legal settlement with a security contractor on Friday after the Florida First District Court of Appeal ruled the network liable for defamation. The jury found CNN had defamed the US Navy veteran, Zachary Young, by suggesting he was charging “exorbitant prices” to evacuate people from Afghanistan during… Read more »
- Fundamental rights faced ‘year of reckoning’ worldwide in 2024, Human Rights Watch says in annual reportHuman rights faced severe tests worldwide in 2024, with democratic institutions under strain and humanitarian law repeatedly violated in major conflicts, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its annual report released Thursday. The 546-page “World Report 2025” reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries, emphasizing the devastating human… Read more »
- Pakistan court halts forced repatriation of Afghan musiciansThe Peshawar High Court issued a two-page interim order on Friday preventing the forced repatriation of around 150 Afghan singers and musicians who fled to Pakistan after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, according to local media. Justice Wiqar Ahmad, who presided over the case, instructed the government to… Read more »
- Independent judicial inquiry sees unlawful killings by UK special forces in AfghanistanThe UK Independent Afghanistan Inquiry published Wednesday has shed light on allegations of unlawful killings carried out by British special forces in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013. The inquiry, which examined classified military records, whistleblower accounts, and survivor testimonies, uncovered a disturbing pattern of behavior that raises serious questions about… Read more »
- Rights group urges Pakistan to cease harassment and arbitrary detention of Afghan refugeesAmnesty International (AI) issued a call on Wednesday for the Pakistan government to cease its arbitrary detention and harassment of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers. This appeal comes in response to alarming reports of widespread abuses by law enforcement agencies, including night raids and the detention of hundreds of Afghan… Read more »
- Rights group sees deteriorating conditions for Afghan refugees in PakistanThe Afghanistan Human Rights Defenders Committee (AHRDC) stated on Monday that the situation for Afghan refugees in Pakistan has deteriorated significantly. The AHRDC characterized the conditions as “worsening,” primarily due to new directives from Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department that have exacerbated existing challenges faced by the refugee population. The measures… Read more »
- Taliban prohibits windows overlooking residential spaces occupied by womenTaliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid announced on Saturday a controversial directive prohibiting the construction of windows in homes that overlook neighboring properties occupied by women. The decree imposes stringent restrictions on property owners, mandating that any newly constructed homes refrain from installing windows facing the courtyards or living spaces of adjacent… Read more »
- UN raises concerns over landmine contamination in AfghanistanThe United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated on Sunday that Afghanistan has become one of the most heavily mine-affected countries globally, posing a significant threat to the lives of its citizens. According to recent reports, the country is struggling to address the issue, with explosive remnants of war… Read more »
- Saudi Arabia to reopen embassy in Taliban AfghanistanSaudi Arabia announced on Sunday that it has resumed diplomatic operations in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. This marks the reopening of its embassy, which had been closed since February 2023 due to security concerns. According to the Afghanistan Times, the reopening signals Saudi Arabia’s intent for positive engagement with… Read more »
Commentary
- ‘We Saw Women Die at Home’: Taliban’s Midwife Ban Threatens Rural Afghan Healthcare“I never wanted to study midwifery,” a 20-year-old woman from Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar told me. “But after the university ban, I couldn’t continue to study computer science – the major which was my dream and what I had worked so hard for.” December 20 marked the second anniversary… Read more »
- The Paradox of Unenforced Taliban SanctionsAs the global community marked International Human Rights Day earlier this month, millions of Afghan women and girls remained trapped in their homes, cast out of their schools, work and public life by repressive Taliban policy. Last year, in response to these then-already-ongoing human rights violations, the US government announced… Read more »
- ICC arrest warrants offer glimmer of hope, but justice remains elusive for Afghanistan’s many war victimsOn Monday at the opening of the twenty-third session of the Assembly of State Parties in The Hague, Prosecutor Khan announced that the Court would seek to issue arrest warrants for figures responsible for crimes against humanity in Afghanistan saying: “In relation to Afghanistan […] we will be announcing applications… Read more »
- Beyond the Taliban’s Shadow: Forging a Path to Justice in AfghanistanMore than three years since the military takeover by Taliban in 2021, Afghanistan remains engulfed in a severe human rights crisis. Extrajudicial killings, public executions, flogging in stadiums, and other forms of corporal punishment, arbitrary detentions, torture and disappearances of former government officials, members of the national security forces, judges,… Read more »
- Afghan Women Find Glimmer of Hope in International Efforts to Bring Taliban to Justice for Gender ApartheidRecent headlines brought a glimmer of hope to the women and girls whose lives under the Taliban have essentially been reduced to prison terms: Canada, Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands announced plans to bring the Taliban to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for gender discrimination. As an Afghan woman,… Read more »
- How One Afghan Woman Is Defying the Taliban With EntrepreneurshipAs the Taliban continues its ever-expanding efforts to keep women and girls out of the public eye, one Afghan woman is leveraging her business acumen to challenge the new status quo. In late August, the Taliban issued a new law restricting women’s voices and faces in public spaces, the latest… Read more »
- Beyond Condemnation: Forging a Path to Justice for Afghanistan’s WomenIn June, Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, called for an “all tools” approach to challenge and dismantle the Taliban’s institutionalized system of gender oppression and hold those responsible accountable in his report to the Human Rights Council. Despite international efforts and pressure… Read more »
- Reimagining Women’s Rights in Afghanistan: Federalism as a Pathway to Gender EqualityUnder Taliban rule, Afghanistan is experiencing severe human rights abuses, notably against women and ethnic minorities, amid socio-political and humanitarian crises. In this piece, the authors analyze the severe human rights challenges in Afghanistan, particularly focusing on the plight of women under the Taliban and historical patterns of gender inequality.… Read more »
- Hypocrisy of The Taliban: Three Years of Ban on Girls’ EducationThe author, a visiting scholar at Cornell University School of Law, explores the impact on three years of since the Taliban banned education for girls in Afghanistan. It has been three years that the Taliban imposed a ban on secondary and university education for girls in Afghanistan. The initial ban… Read more »
- Severing Ties: The Taliban’s Diplomatic Withdrawal and Its Implications for AfghanistanOn Tuesday, the Taliban-run Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan (MFA) announced a decision to sever ties with its diplomatic missions in several European countries and Australia. This unprecedented move marks a pivotal moment in Afghanistan’s contemporary diplomatic history and presents significant implications for the nation’s position within the global… Read more »
