Reports

Introduction:Let us once again raise our voices for justice and accountability for the people of Afghanistan—especially women, girls, minorities, and marginalized communities—who continue to face systemic persecution under Taliban rule.From 8 September to 8 October 2025, the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC60) convened in Geneva, bringing together states, experts, NGOs, and civil society to address Afghanistan’s worsening human rights crisis. Fundamental freedoms remain under attack, with women, girls, and minorities most affected.During the session, CSHRN, HRD+, OMCT, ADDO, and partners engaged in high-level dialogues and interactive discussions to amplify the voices of survivors, women leaders, and minority groups—urging accountability, justice, and international protection.The OHCHR report (A/HRC/60/231)1 confirmed the ongoing deterioration, highlighting gender persecution, bans on girls’ education, discriminatory laws, and the suppression of free expression and minority rights. Complete Report (PDF)

Introduction:Let us raise our voices and expose the systemic persecution faced by women, minorities, and marginalized communities under Taliban rule. At the 59th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Afghan civil society presented urgent testimonies and evidence of crimes against humanity including gender apartheid, torture, and repression of ethnic and religious minorities. Together, we call on the UNHRC to take bold steps toward accountability, justice, and international protection.From June 16 to July 08, 2025, the 59th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC59) convened in Geneva, Switzerland, bringing together UN Member States, experts, NGOs, and civil society actors to address some of the world’s most urgent human rights crises. Afghanistan remained at the center of discussions, as the international community confronted a worsening situation under Taliban rule marked by escalating gender persecution, repression of minority groups, and the breakdown of access to justice.Throughout the session, the Civil Society and Human Rights Network (CSHRN), Human Rights Defenders Plus (HRD+), World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), and Afghanistan Democracy and Development Organization (ADDO) stood in solidarity with Afghan human rights defenders. Together with national and international allies, we participated in key dialogues, side events, and high-level advocacy ensuring that the voices of survivors, former detainees, women leaders, and minority communities were heard at the highest levels.This newsletter presents highlights from the 59th HRC session, including findings from the Special Rapporteur’s report, key side events, and firsthand testimonies. It underscores the continued determination of Afghan civil society to resist oppression and demand international accountability for the grave and ongoing violations of human rights across Afghanistan. Complete Report (PDF)

Today, Civil Society and Human Rights Network – CSHRN together with over 100 Afghan and international human rights and civil society organisations, have issued a joint open letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council.The letter urges the Council to urgently establish an independent international accountability mechanism for Afghanistan to investigate past and ongoing human rights violations and crimes under international law.For nearly four years, the people of Afghanistan—especially women, girls, minorities, LGBTQI+ communities, journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society activists—have faced unprecedented repression under Taliban rule. Arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, gender persecution, restrictions on education and work, violent reprisals, and erasure of women and girls from public life are only part of the worsening crisis.The joint call stresses that justice and accountability are essential to end decades of impunity and to support victims and survivors in their pursuit of truth, justice, and reparations. The mechanism would complement the work of the UN Special Rapporteur, as well as international and national accountability efforts, and ensure that Afghan voices are at the center of this process.This year, the number of signatories has grown, reflecting an ever-stronger global consensus: Afghanistan cannot be abandoned, and impunity must end.Read the full letter here Download English PDF Download Persian PDF Download Pashto PDF

23 July 2025With deep concern and serious distress, we bring to the attention of the international community numerous documented reports of widespread, degrading, and organized arrests of women by the Taliban’s so-called “Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV).”These arrests are being carried out deliberately in densely populated and high-traffic areas of Kabul, including Shahr-e-Naw, Qala-e-Fathullah, Dasht-e-Barchi, Taimani, Pul-e-Surkh, Karte-3, Dehbori, and Macroryan. Women have primarily been arrested while commuting for basic needs such as shopping, visiting pharmacies, going to work, or attending educational institutions—even though many of them were fully covered in Islamic attire, including black chadors or niqabs, and dressed in accordance with the Taliban’s own ideological standards.Nevertheless, these women have been detained without any official documentation or formal charges, subjected to humiliation, and transferred to detention centres operated by the so-called PVPV.According to reliable sources and verified testimonies:Detained women are forced to remain in custody for at least three days;Their release is conditioned upon payment of amounts ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 Afghanis by their families—illegally and informally collected as “fines” or “release fees”;In several cases, their mobile phones and personal documents are confiscated, and families are pressured to pay additional sums to retrieve them;We have received reports that some women, upon release, have faced violence and abuse within their households.These incidents represent widespread and systematic violations of human rights, human dignity, and fundamental principles of women’s rights. They constitute clear examples of arbitrary detention, abuse of authority, and the instrumentalization of religious doctrine for purposes of financial extortion and social repression.As a civil society organization, we emphasize that these actions are not only a grave threat to the individual and social freedoms of women, but they also exacerbate domestic violence, social exclusion, and public fear among women and families.We urgently…

Date: 22 July 2025We, Human Rights Defenders Plus (HRD+), express our deep concern and profound regret, and we strongly condemn the sentencing of Abdulalim Khamosh, a cultural educator and social activist, to death.Abdulalim Khamosh, who worked in one of the most deprived regions of the country, now faces the imminent risk of execution—solely because of a professional and humane conversation he held with a local Taliban official. He has been convicted based on fabricated charges and without access to meaningful legal defence.This ruling is not only a blatant violation of the right to life and the principles of fair trial, but also a clear sign of abuse of power, silencing of independent voices, and the continued policy of repression and revenge by the Taliban against informed and civil segments of society.Human Rights Defenders Plus (HRD+):Calls for the immediate and unconditional annulment of the death sentence against Abdulalim Khamosh;Urges all international bodies, including the United Nations Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and UN Special Rapporteurs, to take immediate action on this case and use all available mechanisms to prevent this flagrant injustice;Emphasizes that the establishment of an independent and impartial international monitoring mechanism to follow the situation of civil and political prisoners in Afghanistan is more urgent than ever;Appeals to civil society activists, media professionals, intellectuals, and artists in Afghanistan and around the world to raise their voices against this unjust ruling and not let silence become an accomplice to the crime.Stop the execution of Abdulalim Khamosh, do not sacrifice justice to vengeanceWith respect and commitment to human dignityHuman Rights Defenders Plus (HRD+) Download English PDF Download Persian PDF

From: Afghanistan’s Exiled Civil Society and Human Rights Community To: EU Member States: Germany, Spain, Czechia, the Netherlands, and BulgariaWe, Afghanistan’s exiled civil society and human rights community, address you with deep concern and an urgent plea to prevent recent risks of legitimizing repression by the Taliban de facto authorities.Recently, the German Ministry of Interior announced its intention to seek ways to communicate with the de facto authorities in Afghanistan. This was promptly welcomed by the de facto authorities, who, in response, indicated their interest in such engagement while again demanding international recognition.We remind the German Government of its commitment to its feminist foreign policy, which aims to integrate gender equality and women’s rights into all aspects of international relations, address global inequalities, and promote human security. Moreover, Germany recently remarked before the UN General Assembly: “Germany remains committed to the Afghan people.”We have also noted with alarm reports that the German Government has authorized the Munich Consulate to provide services to refugees and migrants who are nationals of Afghanistan. Based on credible information we have received, we are deeply concerned that the Munich Consulate and other missions may be sharing sensitive information with the de facto authorities in Kabul.Given the grave risk of reprisals, threats, harassment, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, ill-treatment, and enforced disappearance, such actions threaten the already shrinking space for thousands of human rights defenders, journalists, and others in vulnerable situations who continue to advocate for fundamental rights in the face of enormous danger.We urgently call upon Germany and other EU Member States to immediately cease any measures that could serve to legitimize the de facto authorities and not to normalize a “human rights violating regime” of gender apartheid, consistent with UN Experts. According to Germany itself, with respect to its Initiative on accountability…

Date: 6 July 2025Human Rights Defenders Plus (HRD+) expresses its deep concern and profound sorrow as we strongly condemn the expanding, unjustified, and degrading forced deportations of Afghan migrants and refugees by the Islamic Republic of Iran. In recent weeks, thousands of Afghan migrants—including women, children, the elderly, the sick, and young people—have been deported or are at imminent risk of deportation without the minimum legal and humanitarian standards being observed. This unjust process continues while many of these individuals possess valid residence permits, registered asylum cases, or are in clear need of international protection.These hasty deportations, accompanied by the structural and systematic violation of migrants and refugees human rights, reveal painful aspects of a large-scale humanitarian crisis:Widespread and severe depression among young people, especially female students, who are suddenly deprived of their right to education and a brighter future;Psychological breakdowns among migrant women, who, due to severed social ties, lost security, and family separation, are placed in extreme vulnerability;Increasing deprivation of fundamental rights such as education, healthcare, job security, shelter, and basic human services, which completely disregard their human dignity and lead to deep and lasting social and psychological consequences.Independent and field reports further reveal numerous cases of:Arrest and deportation of migrants without prior notice, often in the middle of the night or during work and rest;Separation of family members and severe psychological trauma for children due to these separations;Confiscation or loss of migrants’ personal belongings;Abandonment in dire conditions at border areas without food, water, medicine, or shelter.Serious WarningMany of those deported or at risk of deportation belong to groups facing serious threats of persecution, including: Journalists and media workers, women protesting against the Taliban’s repressive policies, civil and human rights activists, former military personnel and security forces of the previous government, former Afghan government employees.Under international…

In the 2024 edition of the South Asia State of Minorities Report, the Civil Society and Human Rights Network (CSHRN) presents the Afghanistan chapter, highlighting the severe exclusion faced by minorities under Taliban rule. This year's theme—Economic, Political and Social Participation and Representation of Minorities—reveals how Afghanistan's religious, ethnic, and gender minorities are systematically denied their rights and civic participation.The chapter documents the collapse of constitutional protections, with communities such as Hazaras, Shias, Hindus, Sikhs, and women enduring violence, discrimination, and erasure from public life. Human rights defenders and journalists, especially from minority backgrounds, are silenced or forced into exile.CSHRN’s contribution reflects our commitment to defending civic space and amplifying marginalized voices. We urge regional and international actors to act in solidarity with Afghan minorities and support efforts to restore inclusive and democratic rights in the country. Download English PDF

CSHRN, in collaboration with OMCT and HRD+, releases a new report: “Every Hour Felt as Long as a Year” – Voices of Detainees Held by Afghanistan’s de facto General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI)This powerful report draws on in-depth interviews with survivors detained by the de facto GDI in Afghanistan between 2021 and 2024. It documents grave human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, severe torture, and psychological abuse—carried out in facilities that remain closed to independent monitoring.Rather than anonymized summaries, the report centers first-person testimonies from human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and activists—many of whom continue to face threats even after release. Their accounts reveal how torture is used not only to extract information but to punish dissent, silence resistance, and impose ideological control. As one former human rights lawyer recalled:“They told me: ‘You worked with foreigners to corrupt Afghan women.’ Then they burned my leg with a hot rod. That mark is still there.”Others shared harrowing experiences of rape, waterboarding, and prolonged solitary confinement. For many, the trauma continues post-release under constant Taliban surveillance. As one survivor expressed:“Freedom from Taliban prisons does not mean true liberation.”We at CSHRN stand in solidarity with all survivors and commend their courage in sharing these stories. Their testimonies are not only evidence—they are a form of defiance against repression and erasure.We call on the international community to:Establish effective accountability mechanisms,Strengthen support for Afghan human rights organizations,Ensure urgent protection and asylum pathways for those at risk. Download English PDF

Date: 2025-06-20Unfortunately, the global political situation — particularly in the Middle East — has become more volatile than ever, with war and violence on the rise. The ongoing conflict in Iran has triggered widespread chaos in major cities and strategic regions, directly affecting the population.This war, rooted in serious contradictions within international law, humanitarian international law, and international human rights law, has resulted in numerous casualties and displaced countless innocent civilians.Among the most vulnerable are Afghan citizens residing in Iran as migrants and asylum seekers. They have now become one of the most at-risk social groups. Regrettably, no institution currently exists to provide even the most basic support to this large and distressed community. Due to legal, social, and cultural challenges, Afghan migrants bear a disproportionate burden of this war and are suffering from intensified displacement and hardship.In light of this critical political, social, and economic crisis, Human Rights Defenders Plus (HRD+) respectfully calls on the international community to take urgent action on the following points:Mass Return of Afghan Migrants: The current situation in Iran is leading to a collective return of Afghan migrants to Afghanistan. We urge global migration support institutions to establish and assign a special emergency response mechanism to provide essential services, including legal assistance and migration-related support to these returnees.Support for War Victims: Among Afghan migrants there are war’s victims. However, due to legal complexities, providing support to bereaved families, transferring the wounded to safe locations, and facilitating the transportation and burial of deceased individuals has become extremely difficult. We specifically call on humanitarian organizations — particularly the International Committee of the Red Cross — to not withhold urgent and basic support in these areas.Access to Safe Shelter: For Afghan migrants who have fled large cities, access to safe shelter has become a vital…