Afghanistan is facing a deepening human rights catastrophe under Taliban rule, Amnesty International warned in its annual report released on Tuesday, citing rampant abuses, institutionalised gender persecution, and widespread violations of international law.
The report paints a grim picture of life under the Taliban, particularly for women and girls, whom the organisation says are enduring crimes against humanity. Denied their rights to education beyond grade six, freedom of movement, and access to healthcare, Afghan women remain systematically oppressed in what Amnesty described as “gender persecution.”
Amnesty International also flagged escalating violence and discrimination against the Shia Hazara community, including deadly attacks primarily carried out by Islamic State (ISIS), while accusing the Taliban of systematically excluding women and ethnic or religious minorities from all political and public spheres.
The organisation criticised the United Nations and the broader international community for failing to hold the Taliban accountable, warning that impunity for past and ongoing crimes has only emboldened the regime’s brutal governance.
The report further highlights the deteriorating state of Taliban-run prisons, where hundreds of detainees are reportedly sentenced to death without due process. Public executions—resumed by the Taliban—have taken place in stadiums and open fields, with data from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirming at least eight executions since last year.
Between 300 and 600 prisoners had been handed death sentences as of July last year, Amnesty said, adding that there are credible fears the Taliban may reinstate stoning as a punishment for adultery. An estimated 20,000 individuals are currently imprisoned by the Taliban, including 1,500 women, many believed to be political prisoners.
The report also documents torture, enforced disappearances, and mistreatment of detainees, with former government officials, human rights activists, journalists, and regime critics being targeted. Severe restrictions on media freedom and arbitrary arrests of journalists continue to silence dissent and tighten the Taliban’s grip on Afghan society.
The Taliban administration has not yet responded to Amnesty International’s report.
