Afghanistan: UN slams killings, torture under Taliban

The security situation in Afghanistan has improved since the Taliban seized power, but this came at a cost, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a new report.

The Taliban have rejected claims of rights abuses as baseless

The UN has accused the Taliban of committing hundreds of human rights violations in Afghanistan since taking power  last summer, detailing the abuses in a new report on Wednesday.

"UNAMA is concerned about the impunity with which members of the de facto authorities appear to have carried out human rights violations," said the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

The mission said overall the security has improved across the country, but at a cost.

"Our monitoring reveals that despite the improved security situation since 15 August, the people of Afghanistan, in particular women and girls, are deprived of the full enjoyment of their human rights,'' said Markus Potzel, deputy special representative of the secretary-general for Afghanistan.

'Islamic State' affiliate behind deadly attacks

The report said as many as 700 people have been killed and 1,400 wounded since August 2021, when the Taliban claimed the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Most of those casualties were linked to attacks by the Islamic State group's affiliate in the country.

UNAMA, however, also documented 160 allegations of extra judicial killings, 56 incidents of torture and ill treatment and more than 170 arbitrary arrests and detentions against former government officials and security forces.

The Taliban's Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice as well as the General Directorate of Intelligence were particularly mentioned in violations.

UNAMA also had 87 reports of violence against women and girls including murder, rape, suicide, forced marriages including child marriage, assault and battery, as well as two cases of honor killings.

In one instance, a couple was publicly stoned to death after being accused of having an affair.

Fiona Frazer, head of the UN's human rights mission in Afghanistan, said "impunity prevails" and warned there might be underreporting of allegations.

Human rights violations also affected 173 journalists and media workers, 163 of which were attributed to Taliban authorities, including 122 arbitrary arrests and 33 instances of threats.

Taliban deny accusations of rights abuses

The Taliban have rejected the report's findings, calling them baseless.

"Arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killing are not allowed," Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban government, wrote on Twitter.

He added anyone found guilty of such violations will be considered a criminal and dealt with according to Shariah, or Islamic law.

The Taliban said they had began a process of purging their ranks of elements that did not fully follow instructions.

lo/dj (AP, AFP, Reuters)