UN says Taliban committing rights violations
The Taliban government denies allegations of abuse. File photo: Reuters
The United Nations said on Thursday that Taliban authorities were committing human rights violations, including torture and arbitrary detention, against Afghans forced to return by Iran and Pakistan.
Iran and Pakistan are expelling millions of Afghans who they say are living in their countries illegally. Afghan authorities have urged nationals to return, pledging amnesty for anyone who left after the Taliban seized power in 2021.
According to a UN report, violations have been committed against Afghans "based on their specific profile", including women, media workers, members of civil society, as well as individuals affiliated with the former foreign-backed government that fell in 2021.
"Nobody should be sent back to a country where they face risk of persecution on account of their identity or personal history," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement earlier this month.
The Taliban government previously denied allegations of abuse, having declared an amnesty against those who worked for Nato forces and the former government during their two-decade conflict against the Taliban's insurgency.
UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, recently estimated that up to three million people could return to Afghanistan in 2025, to a country facing a severe humanitarian crisis. (AP/AFP)
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