GENEVA - UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today decried a raft of oppressive restrictions imposed in Afghanistan, in particular against girls and women, and called for renewed efforts to press the de facto authorities to comply with the country's obligations under international law.
"Today, the plight of many in Afghanistan is going from bad to worse. Millions are mired in poverty, respect for basic human rights continues to deteriorate as hundreds of thousands are being returned against their will," the High Commissioner said.
"As each month passes, the de facto authorities are tightening and enforcing oppressive measures. Yet, it seems the world has forgotten and abandoned the people of Afghanistan to a plight deepening by the day. The silence is deafening."
Türk deplored the ongoing restrictions cutting severely into education, employment, freedom of movement, and access to public life; the enforcement of stringent requirements as to dress; and the absolute absence of women in any public decision-making fora.
Fresh decrees issued by the de facto authorities this year make it more difficult for a woman to separate from a spouse, and implicitly authorise child marriage and violence against women and children. A year ago, the de facto authorities restricted Afghan women, including UN staff, contractors and visitors, from entering the United Nations' own premises across the country. Since 2021, some 2.2 million Afghan girls and women have been denied access to secondary and higher education.
"This systematic exclusion of women and girls from public life is an unacceptable human rights violation that has become normalized and institutionalised by the de facto authorities," the High Commissioner said. "Such restrictions imposed on women and girls - which amount to gender apartheid - have no place in any society."
Afghan women and men are being arrested by the de facto "Office for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice", primarily on claimed violations of instructions on dress code, beard length and the playing of, or listening to, music.
At least 449 men and women were subjected by the de facto authorities to corporal punishment in the first half of the year.
Human rights violations against former government officials and former members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces continue to be documented.
Religious minorities, including Shi'a and Ismaili communities, continue to face restrictions.
Afghan media continues to operate under censorship and other forms of restrictions. They are prohibited from broadcasting and publishing content the de facto authorities deem contrary to Afghan culture and their regulations. Arrests of journalists continue, as well as temporary closures of media outlets.
Even against this appalling human rights backdrop, forced returns to Afghanistan continue. According to the UN's refugee agency, more than 400,000 Afghans have been forcibly returned, mainly from Iran and Pakistan. A smaller number have been forcibly returned from Türkiye and Tajikistan, among others. Several EU Member States have also increased coordination with the de facto authorities on the return of Afghan nationals.
"Many are forced to enter a country where they have never even stepped foot, and where they will face deep poverty, and inadequate food, clean water, and access to healthcare, education and employment," Türk said, pointing to the estimated 21.9 million people, or approximately 45 per cent of the population, requiring humanitarian aid.
"All the while, foreign aid flows have trickled dry, compounding the misery. I implore all States to reconsider their actions, and to put the lives of the suffering population first.
"At the same time, those with influence in the region must stand up, and speak out for the equality and dignity of all Afghans. No matter where we make our homes, these principles are inviolable."
