News
- 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 »
- Reporters Without Borders says Afghanistan press freedom hit record low amid Taliban crackdownThe Taliban has shut down at least 12 media outlets across Afghanistan in 2024 alone, according to a Friday report by Reporters Without Borders. The closures include both public and private channels, with the latest being the Kabul-based Arezo TV, whose closure on December 4 has intensified concerns over mounting… Read more »
- UN experts condemn Taliban ban on medical training for Afghan womenUN experts issued a strong rebuke on Monday against a new Taliban policy banning female students from medical training in Afghanistan, which has been denounced for further eroding the rights of women and girls in the country. United Nations Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan Richard Bennett emphasized, “Barring female students from… Read more »
- UN condemns Taliban directive barring women from medical educationThe United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) on Thursday condemned a new Taliban directive barring Afghan women and girls from attending classes at medical institutions, warning that it will have devastating consequences for the country’s healthcare system. OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani stated: “The measure is profoundly discriminatory, short-sighted and puts… Read more »
- Afghanistan referred to ICC for investigation into women’s rights abusesThe governments of Chile, Costa Rica, Spain, France, Luxembourg and Mexico referred the situation in Afghanistan for further investigation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday, citing ongoing violations of women’s rights. In a press release, the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: Today, the governments of the Republic… Read more »
- UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan highlights deterioration of press freedom under Taliban ruleThe United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) published a report on Tuesday highlighting the worsening condition of press freedom in Afghanistan, with journalists encountering increasing limitations, arbitrary detentions, and a widespread atmosphere of fear and self-censorship, since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Under Taliban control, Afghan journalists… Read more »
- UN demands halt to capital punishment in Afghanistan after latest public executionThe United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has condemned the Taliban’s latest public execution of a convicted murderer, which took place at a sports stadium in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktya province on Wednesday. The execution marks the sixth known public execution since the Taliban’s return to power, reigniting international outrage… Read more »
- UN Afghanistan resolution spurs human rights concernsAmnesty International on Thursday criticized a recent United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution regarding Afghanistan, joining other rights groups in asserting that the resolution fails to hold human rights abusers in the country accountable. Amnesty International’s Regional Director for South Asia Smriti Singh criticized the resolution for failing to… Read more »
- 26 countries support legal action against Taliban for violations of women’s rightsTwenty-six countries on Thursday expressed their support for a legal initiative to hold the Taliban accountable at the International Court of Justice for systematic human rights violations against women and girls in Afghanistan. In a joint statement, the countries condemned Taliban policies that have severely curtailed the rights of Afghan… Read more »
- Australia military commanders stripped of medals over Afghanistan war crime allegationsSeveral serving and former Australian military commanders have been stripped of medals over allegations of war crimes committed during the Afghanistan war, Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday. In a statement to air the closure of the Afghanistan (Brereton Inquiry) Report Marles said: “Two of the outstanding recommendations of the… Read more »
Commentary
- 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 »
- Taliban’s Supreme Leader Belongs on the UN Terrorist ListIn this piece, the authors, Annie Pforzheimer, a former U.S. diplomat who served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan; and Jason Howk is a former U.S. military officer who is the Director of the Global Friends of Afghanistan,… Read more »
- Holding the Taliban Accountable: A Global Call for JusticeAfghan women vow to tirelessly work until the Taliban are held accountable for gender apartheid in Afghanistan. In a step towards recognizing the crimes committed against half of the population, Amnesty International recently called for an end to the regime’s impunity: In a powerful show of global solidarity, 354,847 signatures… Read more »
