JURIST EXCLUSIVE – Law students and lawyers in Afghanistan are filing reports with JURIST on the situation there after the Taliban takeover. Here, a lawyer in Kabul gives JURIST an exclusive eyewitness account of Tuesday’s invasion and takeover of the offices of the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association by armed Taliban fighters. For privacy and security reasons, we are withholding our source’s name. The text has been only lightly edited to respect the author’s voice.

It was about 3:45 p.m. I went to the AIBA to renew my licence. I had just come in and I was busy greeting with the guard. Suddenly the door was knocked very hard.

The Taliban shouted: “Open the door, open the door!”

The guard led me to a small room and then opened the door. They entered and evicted all employees from offices. They searched all the offices and rooms and evicted me as well.

When one of our colleagues said that this is an illegal act and invasion of privacy, the Taliban said: “It is enough for you that we do not kill you now.”

And when we talked about the independence of the AIBA, they said that there can be no private organs within our government.

They ousted us and usurped the entire association.

Unfortunately, all the lawyers information is in databases and files, and they can easily access that information. This access and identification of the lawyers is a serious risk for all of us.