The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called for urgent political dialogue following a sharp rise in civilian casualties from cross-border clashes between Pakistani military forces and armed militants sheltering in Afghanistan. According to the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), at least 70 civilians were killed and 478 injured in the last three months of 2025, with further casualties reported recently when 13 civilians died and several more were injured in Pakistani airstrikes.
Türk also highlighted the ongoing human rights crisis within Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Recent decrees have expanded the number of crimes punishable by death and permit the beating of women and children in their homes. Criticism of the authorities has been criminalized, effectively rendering Afghanistan a “graveyard for human rights.” The High Commissioner stressed that women and girls are being systematically excluded from public life, including bans on secondary education, most employment, access to healthcare, civic space, and freedom of movement and expression, creating a system of segregation he likened to apartheid—based on gender rather than race.
The Taliban’s “Law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” has been used to enforce strict social rules, including mandating beards for men, hijab for women, male guardianship for leaving the home, and bans on music and images of living beings. Since September 2025, Afghan women—including UN staff, contractors, and visitors—have been barred from entering UN premises across the country, a restriction described by Türk as unprecedented and deeply disturbing. He urged the international community to pressure the de facto authorities to respect their international human rights obligations.
Türk emphasized that human rights violations in Afghanistan have serious implications for peace and security. His office continues to document abuses while the global community addresses the crisis through multiple channels, including the UN Human Rights Council, the UN Security Council, and the UN General Assembly, which has passed resolutions supporting a stable, secure, and self-sufficient Afghan state free from terrorism, illicit narcotics, organized crime, and corruption.
Beyond UN measures, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for the Taliban’s Supreme Leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani. The warrants allege their responsibility for crimes against humanity, including persecution of girls, women, and others who do not conform to Taliban policies on gender, gender identity, or expression, as well as political persecution of those perceived as allies of women and girls.
The High Commissioner’s remarks underscore the urgent need for both diplomatic engagement and international pressure to prevent further civilian harm and address the widespread human rights violations across Afghanistan.
