Last Updated: August 23, 2023, 06:43 IST
Taliban fighters patrol on the road during a celebration marking the second anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (AP File Photo)
Afghanistan: Taliban violated amnesty pledges. UNAMA details extrajudicial killings, torture, and disappearances by de facto authorities
Hundreds of former Afghan government officials and armed forces members have been killed by the Taliban since its takeover of the country in August 2021, according to a UN report released on Tuesday.
The report documents at least 800 instances of extrajudicial killing, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and ill-treatment, and enforced disappearance carried out against individuals affiliated with the former government and its security forces between August 15, 2021, and June 30, 2023.
In a report published on Tuesday, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said the rights violations are despite the announcement by the de facto authorities of a “general amnesty” for former government officials and former members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF).
“UNAMA’s report presents a sobering picture of the treatment of individuals affiliated with the former government and security forces of Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of the country. Even more so, given they were assured that they would be not targeted, it is a betrayal of the people’s trust,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk. He urged the Taliban to consider the findings of this report and to uphold their obligations under international human rights law by preventing further violations and holding perpetrators to account.
In interviews conducted by the UN mission, Afghans described instances of torture and ill-treatment carried out by Taliban members, including beatings with pipes, cables, verbal threats and abuse. The mission also heard from family members whose relatives had been arrested or gone missing, their bodies found days or even months later. In some instances, individuals have never been found. The former Head of the Herat Women’s Prison, Alia Azizi, never returned home from work on October 2, 2021. As of August 22 this year, her whereabouts remain unknown.
Asking the Taliban to clarify the terms of the general amnesty, the UN mission in Afghanistan has called for credible and transparent criminal investigations into alleged human rights violations against former government officials and ANDSF members.
“While the announcement of a general Amnesty by the Taliban in August 2021 was a welcome step, it continues to not be fully upheld, with impunity for human rights violations prevailing,” said Roza Otunbayeva, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of UNAMA. “The de facto authorities must demonstrate a genuine commitment to the general amnesty. This is a crucial step in ensuring real prospects for justice, reconciliation and lasting peace in Afghanistan.”
In response to the UNAMA report, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that the radical Islamic group has followed through on promises of a general amnesty and that the Taliban are seriously investigating “some personal and unknown cases of revenge” attacks.
The United Nations and others, “instead of understanding the realities of Afghanistan and seeing positive developments, are always looking for negative points,” he added on X, formerly known as Twitter.
