Serious allegations of secret detention facilities operating in the northern areas of Kandahar have once again raised grave concerns over enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and unlawful detentions under Taliban rule.
Reports identifying suspected detention centres have intensified fears among local communities, particularly families who have spent months or even years searching for relatives whose whereabouts remain unknown. These allegations point to a deeply troubling pattern of intimidation, arbitrary imprisonment, and the denial of fundamental rights under the Taliban authorities.
The existence of such facilities, if confirmed, would represent a serious violation of fundamental human rights and international legal obligations. No individual should be deprived of liberty without lawful grounds, due process, access to legal representation, and protection against torture or other forms of ill-treatment. Secret detention, in particular, places detainees beyond the reach of their families, lawyers, and independent monitoring bodies, creating an environment in which grave abuses can occur without accountability.
The families of the disappeared deserve answers, not silence. They have the fundamental right to know whether their loved ones are alive, where they are being held, what charges, if any, have been brought against them, and whether they have access to medical care, legal counsel, and regular family contact.
The Taliban authorities must immediately address these allegations and provide transparent information about all official and unofficial detention facilities operating across Kandahar and the rest of Afghanistan. They must disclose the identities and whereabouts of all detainees, release individuals held without lawful justification, and ensure that independent humanitarian and human rights organisations are granted unrestricted access to detention facilities.
The international community, particularly the United Nations, its human rights mechanisms, and relevant international organisations, must not allow these allegations to disappear into silence. Independent investigations are urgently needed to establish the facts, identify those responsible for any violations, and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable in accordance with international law.
Afghanistan cannot have justice while people are secretly detained, families are denied answers, and human rights violations go unchallenged.
The people of Afghanistan have endured decades of conflict, suffering, and uncertainty. They must not be subjected to another era in which individuals can disappear without explanation and families are left helplessly searching for the truth.
We call upon the Taliban authorities to end arbitrary and secret detentions, disclose the whereabouts of all missing detainees, and guarantee the basic rights and dignity of every person in custody.
Enforced disappearance is not justice. Secret imprisonment is not law. And silence is not an acceptable response.
The world must demand answers. The families deserve the truth. The disappeared must not be forgotten.
