Amnesty International accuses Taliban of killing civilians, blocking humanitarian aid

Amnesty International on Monday detailed alleged human rights abuses being carried out by the Taliban about a month after the militant group took over the Afghan government.

Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty International’s deputy director for South Asia, said in a statement, “In just over five weeks since assuming control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have clearly demonstrated that they are not serious about protecting or respecting human rights. We have already seen a wave of violations, from reprisal attacks and restrictions on women, to crackdowns on protests, the media and civil society.”

The international human rights organization said the Taliban have already gone back on their promises of amnesty for government officials and protection for journalists. Based on Amnesty International’s research on the situation in Afghanistan, the Taliban have begun targeting Afghan police officers, including reportedly killing one who was pregnant at the time.

The Taliban also allegedly kidnapped popular Afghan comedian Nazar Mohammad, a former police officer, from his home and had him killed.

“While it is now almost impossible to carry out any human rights work, attacks on human rights defenders have reportedly been on the rise without any sign of abating,” Amnesty International said. “Since 15 August, the Taliban and armed groups have engaged in large-scale door-to-door searches, forcing human rights defenders into hiding, and moving clandestinely from one place to another.”

One Afghan female human rights activist named only as Kobra said in Amnesty’s briefing that she was questioned by Taliban sympathizers in the weeks before Kabul fell. She left the country about four days after Kabul was overtaken and said Taliban fighters went to her home on the day she left and questioned her neighbors.

“Today, for what sin did we have to leave our homeland, our loved ones, and our life and for which sin we suffered such hardship at the gates to enter the Kabul airport,” Kobra said.

The human rights group called for countries to cease deportations and forced returns to Afghanistan, prioritize female Afghans as refugees and suspend visa requirements for those leaving the country and for neighboring countries to maintain open borders with Afghanistan.