CONTENTS
1. __ INTRODUCTION _________________________________________________________________________________________ 2
2. __ METHODOLOGY _________________________________________________________________________________________ 4
3. __ BACKGROUND: AFGHANISTAN UNDER THE TALIBAN _________________________________________________________________ 4
4. __ THREATS TO GENDER EQUALITY AFTER 15 AUGUST _________________________________________________________________ 6
4.1 Denial of the Right to Work _________________________________________________________________________________ 7
4.2 Denial of the Right to Education______________________________________________________________________________ 8
4.3 Exclusion of women from politics _____________________________________________________________________________ 9
4.4 Reprisals against women politicians and civil servants______________________________________________________________ 9
4.5 Repression of Women’s protests _____________________________________________________________________________ 10
4.6 LGBTI people in Afghanistan afraid for their lives _________________________________________________________________ 11
5. __ AFGHAN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AT GREATER RISK THAN EVER ____________________________________________________ 12
6. __ FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, DISSENT, AND JOURNALISTS ____________________________________________________________ 15
6.1 Reprisals against former government workers and civilians __________________________________________________________ 19
7. __ OBSTACLES TO FLEEING THE COUNTRY ________________________________________________________________________ 21
7.1 Difficult conditions in accessing the airport_____________________________________________________________________ 21
7.2 Prevented from crossing the border __________________________________________________________________________ 22
7.3 Refugees and the right to seek asylum ________________________________________________________________________ 24
8. __ CONCLUSIONS _________________________________________________________________________________________ 25
9. __ RECOMMENDATIONS_____________________________________________________________________________________ 27
To all UN Member States and states that have for the past 20 years financially supported Afghan Civil Society; and ________________________ 27
Responsibility of the international community, particularly via the United Nations to:- ____________________________________________ 27
UN Security Council __________________________________________________________________________________________ 28
UN Human Rights Council ______________________________________________________________________________________ 28
The International Criminal Court _________________________________________________________________________________ 29
To the authorities in Afghanistan _________________________________________________________________________________ 29
1. INTRODUCTION
Afghanistan, a country already besieged by conflict that has seen gross violations and abuses of
human rights for decades, entered a new chapter on 15 August 2021, when the Taliban captured its
capital Kabul, and overthrew the civilian government.1 With President Ashraf Ghani fleeing hours after
the Taliban entered Kabul, the city effectively fell under the rule of the Taliban armed group, that 20
years before had been ousted by the United States and its allies.2
The takeover by the Taliban marks a new epoch in the history of Afghanistan. The past 20 years had
resulted in some progress on the enjoyment of human rights in the country, particularly women’s
rights, but the conflict has also seen thousands of civilian deaths and the commission of crimes
against humanity, war crimes, and other serious human rights violations and abuses by all parties.
The 20-year war is estimated to have taken the lives of at least 47,245 civilians with many more
injured, in addition to over 66,000 Afghan national military and police, 51,191 Taliban and other
fighters, 72 journalists, 444 aid workers and 3,846 US contractors.3
Ahmad Seir, Rahim Faiez, Tameem Akhgar and Jon Gambrell. AP News. 16 August 2021. “Taliban sweep into Afghan capital after government
collapses”. https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-kabul-bagram-e1ed33fe0c665ee67ba132c51b8e32a5.
1
The Hindu. 16 August 2021. “Afghan President Ghani flees Kabul in helicopter stuffed with cash: reports”.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/afghan-president-ghani-flees-kabul-in-helicopter-stuffed-with-cash-reports/article35940674.ece.
2
Ellen Knickmeyer. AP. 17 August 2021. “Costs of the Afghanistan war, in lives and dollars”. https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-businessafghanistan-43d8f53b35e80ec18c130cd683e1a38f. Based on a report by Neta C. Crawford and Catherine Lutz. Brown University. 13 November 2019
“Human Cost of Post-9/11 Wars: Direct War Deaths in Major War Zones, Afghanistan and Pakistan (October 2001 – October 2019); Iraq (March 2003 –
October 2019); Syria (September 2014-October 2019); Yemen (October 2002-October 2019); and Other”.
https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2019/Direct%20War%20Deaths%20COW%20Estimate%20November%2013%202019%20F
INAL.pdf . See also BBC. 3 September 2021. “Afghanistan: What has the conflict cost the US and its allies?”. https://www.bbc.com/news/world47391821
3
THE FATE OF THOUSANDS HANGING IN THE BALANCE:
AFGHANISTAN’S FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE TALIBAN
Amnesty International
2