Taliban Rejects UNAMA Human Rights Report as “Baseless”

DID Press: Taliban’s Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice dismissed the latest report from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) regarding arbitrary detentions, severe restrictions on women, and mistreatment by the group’s officials as “baseless.” The Ministry has urged the public not to trust the findings of the UN report.

Saif-ul-Islam Khyber, spokesperson for the Ministry, stated that the UNAMA report does not reflect the realities of Afghanistan, claiming there have been no arbitrary detentions, violence, or actions outside the framework of Sharia by the Ministry’s officials. He emphasized that the activities of the Taliban’s enforcers are based on Islamic Sharia law and the group’s rules, and that the UN’s human rights reports on Afghanistan are not credible.

This comes after UNAMA’s quarterly report stated that Taliban enforcers in Zabul province have barred women from walking in public spaces. The report mentions that enforcers prevented women from doing morning exercises on Mizan 16, warning them not to go outside for physical activities anymore.

Additionally, UNAMA reported that at least 520 people were arbitrarily detained by the Taliban enforcers, with 50 cases of mistreatment of both women and men documented. Furthermore, a Taliban court issued an order to detain a girl under 18 for refusing an arranged marriage, and the girl remains imprisoned.

This is not the first time that the Taliban has rejected UN reports on human rights violations. Over the past four years of the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan, officials have repeatedly labeled findings from UN bodies and international organizations as “unrealistic,” despite these organizations raising consistent concerns over the deteriorating human rights situation, particularly the extensive restrictions on women and girls.