Shaharzad Akbar: Arbitrary Arrests, Torture, and Forced Disappearances by the Taliban Have Increased

In a statement released on X on Friday (October 18), Ms. Akbar said she raised this issue in a conversation with the International Union of Civil Activists CIVICUS.

She added, "The Taliban have repealed laws protecting journalists and civil society and have resorted to force and threats to silence independent media."

Shaharzad Akbar also stated, "Anyone who criticizes the Taliban, even if it's a social media post about a power outage, is likely to receive a phone call from the group's intelligence ordering them to delete it and not raise such issues again."

She emphasized that the Taliban have targeted civil society activists, journalists, and religious and ethnic elders for challenging the group's laws.

According to Ms. Akbar, only a few days after the Taliban took control of the country, it was women who took to the streets and protested against the group's policies.

Shaharzad Akbar also noted that cases of arbitrary arrests, torture, and forced disappearances by the Taliban have increased unprecedentedly.

These statements come as the Taliban, over the past three years, have systematically violated the rights of citizens, especially women and girls, by issuing numerous decrees and have severely restricted people's access to information by exerting pressure on the media.