While Taliban leaders mark 5 years in power in Afghanistan, a UN official warns of a rights crisis

KABUL, Afghanistan: On the fifth anniversary of their return to power, Taliban leaders celebrated in Afghanistan's traditional Loya Jirga assembly hall, claiming to have established stability after years of turmoil. However, a top United Nations official expressed grave concerns over a burgeoning human rights crisis in Afghanistan, particularly affecting women and girls.

The Taliban seized control on August 15, 2021, following the U.S. and NATO's withdrawal from the country after a two-decade-long war. Upon taking power, the Taliban administration promptly implemented a ban on girls' education beyond the sixth grade and subsequently lifted the restrictions on women's higher education, despite initial pledges to allow them access to education, employment, and public participation.

The Taliban also imposed bans on women's presence in public spaces like gyms and parks, participation in sports, and travel to distant locations without a male guardian. At the Loya Jirga ceremony, high-ranking officials and some foreign representatives, along with thousands of ordinary citizens, gathered to mark the occasion, with the Taliban government's deputy spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat, pledging to protect Afghanistan from occupation, aggression, and insecurity under the Sharia-based government.

However, the Taliban remains isolated internationally, with Russia being the only country to formally recognize it. Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi encouraged countries to engage with the Taliban administration, emphasizing the benefits gained by those who have done so. In Kabul, men celebrated the government by carrying Taliban flags and chanting slogans, while security forces patrolled the city and checkpoints were set up along major roads.

UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett highlighted the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan, stating that the country is experiencing a deep human rights crisis, with the gender discrimination and apartheid reaching new heights. Bennett warned against "normalizing" the Taliban's policies, asserting that it would legitimize discrimination and neglect the suffering of victims.

Deputy Minister Molvi Hayatullah Mahajar Farahi claimed that the Taliban administration has delivered security, infrastructure, and job creation, but did not address the issue of education for girls and women. According to UNESCO, approximately 2.4 million girls have been excluded from secondary education, and the U.N. World Food Program reported critical levels of child malnutrition in a third of Afghanistan's provinces.

U.N. Women emphasized that women and girls in Afghanistan are facing the harshest restrictions in the world, and these bans are damaging the country's future by depriving it of essential professionals such as teachers, doctors, nurses, and midwives.