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Australia: Prioritize Protection for Fleeing Afghans

Increase Humanitarian Aid, Support UN Reporting on Abuses

(Sydney) – The Australian government should urgently help protect Afghan civilians who are at heightened risk under the new Taliban authorities, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The government…
Two children walk by armed soldiers in the countryside
News

Afghanistan: Taliban Rights Pledges Raise Concerns

International Monitoring Mechanism Urgently Needed

(New York) – Afghanistan’s new Taliban leadership has pledged to respect human rights using vague qualifications that heighten concerns about their credibility. During a news conference in Kabul on August 17, 2021, a Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah…
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News

The Fragility of Women's Rights in Afghanistan

Now that the Taliban are back, what does that mean for women's rights?

“But can we trust the Taliban on women’s rights?” has been a favorite question of journalists in recent years. The answer used to be “no”; the answer now is that it doesn’t matter much. The Taliban have swept back to power, and dealing with them…
A painted mural with Arabic writing on a building
News

Afghanistan: At-Risk Civilians Need Evacuation, Protection

Governments Should Suspend Deportations, Forced Returns

(New York) – Afghans at heightened risk of persecution from advancing Taliban forces are in urgent need of evacuation and international protection abroad, Human Rights Watch said today. Foreign governments should prioritize providing visas and helping…
Afghans from northern provinces who fled their homes due to the fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces take refuge in a public parc in Kabul, August 13, 2021. 
Report

“I Thought Our Life Might Get Better”

Summary The international reconstruction effort in Afghanistan after 2001 created an opportunity to advance human rights, and women’s and girls’ rights in particular. Although its achievements have fallen short of what was envisioned, significant…
News

Interview: Why Now is the Time to Support Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

Fragile Gains Made Since 2001 Should Be Expanded, Protected

With the withdrawal of the last US forces from Afghanistan, fighting in the country has intensified and the Taliban are gaining ground. The prospect of an expanded civil war and widening Taliban control looms. In the midst of it all, many donor countries…
Delegates attend the last day of the Afghan Loya Jirga meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, May 3, 2019.
News

Afghanistan: Justice System Failing Women

Taliban Gains Further Risk Crucial Legal Protections

(New York) – The Afghan government’s failure to provide accountability for violence against women and girls has undermined progress to protect women’s rights, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Gains by Taliban forces as the United…
A painted mural with Arabic writing on a building
News

Afghanistan: Advancing Taliban Execute Detainees

Police, Civil Servants Detained Incommunicado in Ghazni, Malistan, Kandahar

(New York) – Taliban forces advancing in Ghazni, Kandahar, and other Afghan provinces have summarily executed detained soldiers, police, and civilians with alleged ties to the Afghan government, Human Rights Watch said today. Residents from various…
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News

Afghanistan: Mounting Taliban Revenge Killings

Insurgents Beat, Execute Popular Comedian in Kandahar

(New York) – Taliban forces in Afghanistan are targeting known critics for attack despite claiming that they have ordered their fighters to act with restraint, Human Rights Watch said today. In Kandahar, the Taliban have been detaining and executing…
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News

Arrest of Afghan Journalists Highlights Larger Concerns

Failure to Investigate Attacks on Press Undermines Media Freedom

The arrests this week of four journalists in Kandahar underscore rising concerns the Afghan government is trying to shield itself from media criticism. Among the many threats they face, Afghanistan’s embattled journalists should not also have to face…
Afghan journalists film at the site of a bombing attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, February 9, 2021.
News

Afghanistan: Threats of Taliban Atrocities in Kandahar

Insurgent Forces Hold Hundreds; Executions of Residents Linked to Government

(New York) – Taliban forces that have taken control of districts in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province have detained hundreds of residents whom they accuse of association with the government, Human Rights Watch said today. The Taliban have…
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News

US Should Help Afghan Civil Society Partners at Risk

Taliban Advances a Threat to Many Activists, Journalists, Educators

For many Afghans, the middle-of-the-night departure of US forces from Bagram Air Base was like a kick in the teeth after 20 years of supposed partnership. As the US withdrew its remaining troops from Afghanistan, Afghan government forces appear to be…
A US flag is lowered as American and Afghan soldiers attend a handover ceremony from the US Army to the Afghan National Army, at Camp Anthonic, in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan on May 2, 2021.
News

Afghanistan: Taliban Forcibly Displace Civilians

Retaliatory Attacks in Kunduz Province Heighten Concerns of Abuses

(New York) – Taliban forces on the offensive across northern Afghanistan have forcibly displaced residents and burned homes as apparent retaliation for cooperating with the Afghan government, Human Rights Watch said today. Since May 2021, the Taliban…
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News

How US-Funded Abuses Led to Failure in Afghanistan

As U.S. forces continue their withdrawal from Afghanistan, postmortems on the 20-year U.S.-led military intervention are underway. Predictably, many in the U.S. national security establishment are rehashing old debates about the conflict and…
Former Afghan interpreters hold placards during a protest against the U.S. government and NATO in Kabul, Afghanistan on April 30, 2021.
News

Joint Open Letter to the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Re: Support for the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission Call for a Fact-Finding Mission in Afghanistan

The undersigned organisations welcome the call you made to the Human Rights Council on June 21, 2021, to consider “mechanisms for an effective prevention response” to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. We are writing to urge you to take…
News

UN Should Investigate Deadly Attacks on Afghan Civilians

Twenty Rights Groups Call for Justice and Accountability

Human Rights Watch today joined Afghan and international human rights organizations calling for a United Nations-mandated fact-finding mission to investigate escalating attacks on civilians in Afghanistan to promote justice and accountability.…
The mother of a schoolgirl who was among those killed in the brutal May 8, 2021 bombing of the Sayed ul-Shuhada girls' school stands inside a classroom with bouquets of flowers on empty desks as a tribute to the dead, in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 16, 2021. 
News

Afghanistan: Children Detained, Tortured for Insurgent Links

Government, UN, Donors Should Ensure Reintegration

(New York) – The Afghan government should release children detained for alleged association with armed insurgent groups and work with the United Nations and donors to establish programs for their reintegration into society, Human Rights Watch said…
Children in Detention illustration