Taliban tortured and threatened Afghans expelled from Pakistan and Iran, UN report says
The violations include torture, ill-treatment, arbitrary arrest, and threats to personal security at the hands of the Taliban, according to the report.
Advertisement
A former government official told the U.N. mission that, after his return to Afghanistan in 2023, he was detained and severely tortured with sticks and cables. He was waterboarded and subjected to a mock execution.
A non-binary person said they were beaten severely, including with the back of a gun.
Volker Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said nobody should be sent back to a country where they faced the risk of persecution on account of their identity or personal history. This was even more pronounced for Afghan women and girls, who were subjected to a range of measures 'amounting to persecution based on their gender alone,' he added.
The Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on Afghan girls and women, cutting off education beyond sixth grade, most employment and access to many public spaces.
Advertisement
Responding to the report, Taliban authorities denied mistreating Afghan returnees and rejected allegations of arrest, violence, intimidation or retaliation against people because of their identity or personal history.
Afghans returning from neighboring countries were provided with facilities related to documentation, transportation, resettlement, and other legal support, they said, while the Interior Ministry provides a 'warm welcome.'
They called on the U.N. mission to prevent forced deportations, adding the United Nations as a whole 'should not hesitate' in providing basic needs to refugees, such as food, medicine, shelter and education.
Afghans who left their homeland in the millions over the decades are either being pushed out in expulsion campaigns, like those in Iran and Pakistan, or face an uncertain future because of reduced support for refugees.
On Monday, thousands of Afghans in the U.S. lost protection from deportation after a federal appeals court refused to postpone U.S. President Donald Trump administration's decision to end their legal status.
Homeland Security officials said in their decision to end the Temporary Protected Status for Afghans that the situation in their home country was getting better. But groups helping Afghans with this status say the country is still extremely dangerous.
The Trump administration's January suspension of a refugee program has left thousands of Afghans stranded, particularly in Pakistan, and a travel ban on Afghans has further diminished their hopes of resettlement in the U.S.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
36 minutes ago
- News24
Thailand warns Cambodia should ‘demonstrate genuine intent' ahead of peace talks
Thailand and Cambodia are fighting in their border regions. Peace talks are scheduled for Monday. At 35 people have been killed and more than 200 000 displaced. Thailand and Cambodia's leaders are due to meet for peace talks on Monday, as a festering territorial dispute along their shared frontier dragged into a fifth day of open combat. At least 35 people have been killed and more than 200 000 displaced since Thursday as the countries fight over a smattering of contested ancient temples. In an effort initiated by US President Donald Trump, Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet will meet at 15:00 (07:00 GMT) in Kuala Lumpur. China is also expected to send a delegation. Ahead of the talks, Thailand and Cambodia traded fresh fire and accusations. 'We do not believe Cambodia is acting in good faith, based on their actions in addressing the issue,' Phumtham told reporters as he departed Bangkok airport. They need to demonstrate genuine intent, and we will assess that during the meeting. Phumtham Wechayachai Cambodia's defence ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata said Monday was 'the fifth day that Thailand has invaded Cambodia's territory with heavy weapons and with the deployment of a lot of troops'. In Thailand's Surin city - 30km from the border and a hub of evacuees fleeing the fighting - 58-year-old Lamduan Chuenjit shared her leader's scepticism. 'I hope the negotiation goes well today and ends with a ceasefire,' the cleaner told AFP while sweeping a shopfront. 'But I do wonder how trustworthy Cambodia is.' On the eve of the talks, Thailand's military said Cambodian snipers were camping in one of the contested temples, and accused Phnom Penh of surging troops along the border and hammering Thai territory with rockets. The Royal Thai Army/Anadolu via Getty Images It said fighting was ongoing at seven areas along the rural border region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and agricultural land where locals farm rubber and rice. 'The situation remains highly tense, and it is anticipated that Cambodia may be preparing for a major military operation prior to entering negotiations,' the Thai military statement read. On Saturday, Trump said he made a late-night call to both leaders, who agreed to 'quickly work out' a truce. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said the summit - which will be mediated by Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim - was also organised 'with the participation of China' - a key trade and political ally. 'The purpose of this meeting is to achieve an immediate ceasefire, which was initiated by President Donald Trump and agreed to by both prime ministers of Cambodia and Thailand,' Hun Manet said. Valeria Mongelli/Anadolu via Getty Images US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that US officials 'are on the ground in Malaysia to assist these peace efforts', while Anwar told domestic media he would focus on securing an 'immediate ceasefire'. Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn marked his 73rd birthday on Monday, but a notice in the country's Royal Gazette said his public celebrations scheduled for Bangkok's Grand Palace have been cancelled amid the strife. Trump has threatened both countries with eye-watering levies in his global tariff blitz unless they agree to independent trade deals - saying he would 'look forward' to signing them once 'Peace is at hand.' Both sides have agreed to a truce in principle, while accusing the other of undermining peace efforts and trading allegations about the use of cluster bombs and targeting of hospitals. Thailand says eight of its soldiers and 14 civilians have been killed, while Cambodia has confirmed eight civilian and five military deaths. The Thai military said it has returned the bodies of 12 Cambodian soldiers killed in combat. More than 138 000 people have fled Thailand's border regions, while around 80 000 have been driven from their homes in Cambodia. With the skirmish enflaming nationalist sentiments, Thailand warned its citizens to 'refrain from any kind of violence, whether in speech or action' against Cambodian migrants living in the country.
Newsweek
37 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Global Markets Welcome US-EU Trade Deal
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Financial markets around the world welcomed a framework trade agreement on Monday between the United States and the European Union with a 15 percent U.S. tariff on most EU goods and billions of dollars of European investment. U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the agreement on Sunday at Trump's luxury golf course in Scotland following months of difficult negotiations. Why It Matters The deal averts a devastating trade war between the two economies, which represent the world's largest trade volume, encompassing hundreds of millions of people and trillions of dollars in commerce. Trump had this month threatened to impose a 30 percent tariff on goods from the E.U., which would have meant American consumers facing higher prices on everything from French cheese to German electronics and Spanish pharmaceuticals. The EU had prepared retaliatory tariffs on hundreds of American products, including beef, auto parts, beer and Boeing airplanes, which could have sent shock waves through global economies. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after reaching a trade deal between the U.S. and the EU at the Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, on July 27. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after reaching a trade deal between the U.S. and the EU at the Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, on July 27. Jacquelyn Martin/AP What To Know The deal provides clarity for companies after months of uncertainty, and global markets breathed a sigh of relief as they opened on Monday, with stocks rising and the euro firmer. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4 percent, and the Nasdaq futures gained 0.5 percent while the euro firmed against the dollar, sterling and yen. European futures surged almost 1 percent. Under the deal, the EU seeks to invest some $600 billion in the U.S. and ramp up its purchases of U.S. military equipment and buy $750 billion worth of U.S. energy. "I think this is the biggest deal ever made," Trump told reporters in Scotland on Sunday. Von der Leyen described Trump as a tough negotiator. She told reporters that the 15 percent tariff, which applied "across the board," was "the best we could get." In Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.27 percent early on Monday, just shy of the almost four-year high it touched last week. Japan's Nikkei index fell 0.8 percent after hitting a one-year high last week when Japan struck its own trade deal with the U.S., which also included a 15 percent U.S. tariff on Japanese goods. China's blue-chip stocks rose 0.3 percent on Monday morning, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index put on 0.75 percent. The Australian dollar, often seen as a proxy for risk appetite, was at $0.657 to the U.S. dollar, near an eight-month high set last week. What People Are Saying European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen told reporters: "We should not forget where we would have been on the first of August. We would have been at 30 percent, and it would have been much more difficult to get down now to the 15 percent. Fifteen percent is certainly a challenge for some, but we should not forget that it keeps us the access to the American market, and what we are also doing intensively is diversifying to other regions of the world." Prashant Newnaha, a senior Asia-Pacific rates strategist at TD Securities, told Reuters: "A 15 percent tariff on European goods, forced purchases of U.S. energy and military equipment and zero tariff retaliation by Europe, that's not negotiation, that's the art of the deal. A big win for the U.S." Marc Velan, the head of investments at Lucerne Asset Management in Singapore, told Reuters: "A major tail-risk has now been defused. … Markets are interpreting this as a sign of stability and predictability returning to trade policy." What Happens Next Trade negotiators from the U.S. and China—the world's two largest economies—are due to meet in Stockholm on Monday. China is facing an August 12 deadline to reach an agreement with the Trump administration. Many other countries are racing to finalize deals before an August 1 deadline.
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mary Trump Says Uncle Donald ‘Isn't the Problem Anymore'
President Donald Trump's niece believes that while the Jeffrey Epstein files crisis might weaken him, her uncle 'isn't the problem anymore.' Mary L. Trump, 60, an outspoken critic of her father's younger brother, was responding to a question Sunday during an 'Ask Me Anything' Q&A session on X about whether she thought the Epstein files would serve as the 'catalyst for the MAGA movement ending over a period of time.' 'Maybe in the long term, but not in the short term,' Mary said. She added that, in the immediate future, the outrage among Trump's base over his handling of the late sex offender's case weakens him 'considerably.' 'This goes right to the heart of his base,' said the psychologist and author, who in 2020 published a tell-all book on Trump, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man. But she's far less certain about how things will play out in the long haul, even as the Epstein files bring Trump's personal relationship with the convicted sex offender under an intensifying spotlight. 'Even if it implicates him, nobody's going to indict him,' Mary said, alluding to both the fierce loyalty Trump, 79, has cultivated within his administration and the Supreme Court's 2024 ruling that presidents cannot be criminally prosecuted for 'official acts.' She then theorized, 'if it did kind of end his reign of power, J.D. Vance becomes president.' 'We need to remember this, it's really important—I'm not saying this shouldn't all play out, because of course it should,' Mary said. 'What I'm saying is, Donald Trump isn't the problem anymore. That's what I'm saying. And we need to be very, very clear about that.' During his second term, Trump has assembled a team of supporters who have fully embraced his MAGA brand of politics, unlike in his first term, when internal pushback would sometimes curb his most extreme ideas. Mary, a psychologist, said Trump is reenacting their family dynamic—one where his father, Fred Trump, controlled everyone in his orbit. She noted, however, that 'Donald is acting like he's always acted.' 'The arrogance was always there. The insecure defensiveness was always there. The bullying was always there,' she said. Mary also claimed that Trump's wild rant about windmills on Sunday is 'evidence of serious cognitive impairment.' The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
