Taliban Celebrate Five Years of Power Amidst Human Rights Concerns
In Kabul, Afghanistan, Taliban rulers and officials commemorated their fifth anniversary in power at the Loya Jirga assembly hall. They claimed to have restored stability and put an end to decades-long conflicts. A senior United Nations official, however, highlighted a severe human rights crisis where girls over the age of 12 are barred from attending school.
The Taliban took control on August 15, 2021, following the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops after a twenty-year conflict. This withdrawal caused turmoil at Kabul airport as many sought to flee the nation.
After assuming control, the Taliban banned girls’ education beyond sixth grade and later restricted higher education for women, despite previous promises of allowing educational and employment rights for women. Women are also prohibited from public spaces and require a male guardian for distant travel.
Taliban’s Celebration and Claim of ‘Liberation’
The Loya Jirga event featured high-ranking officials, a few foreign representatives, and thousands of citizens celebrating Afghanistan’s ‘liberation’ from American forces. Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Taliban government, called for divine protection from external threats and the fostering of peace under Sharia governance.
Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi remarked that Taliban rule has ended foreign interventions and internal strife over the past decades, achieving security in Afghanistan. He recounted past casualties, highlighting the impact on families. Notably, the event saw no female participants.
Calls for International Engagement
Despite five years of Taliban rule, their government remains internationally isolated. Russia is the sole nation to formally recognize them. Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi encouraged countries that have engaged with the administration to maintain interactions and urged others to reconsider their stance.
Celebrations in Kabul included public gatherings with Taliban flags. Convoys moved through the streets, creating traffic congestions, while security was tightened with significant Taliban presence and checkpoints.
UN’s Warning on Human Rights
Richard Bennett, the U.N. special rapporteur, warned of a worsening human rights crisis in a video message. He questioned the quality of peace, noting the deteriorating rights of women and girls. Bennett classified the situation as gender persecution, a crime against humanity, with ongoing arrests, torture, and extrajudicial acts.
He cautioned against the normalization of Taliban policies, affirming it would validate discrimination and undermine victims’ plights. While the Taliban’s deputy minister Molvi Hayatullah Mahajar Farahi spoke of infrastructural achievements, he sidestepped the topic of girls’ education.
UNESCO predicted that around 2.4 million girls are excluded from secondary schooling. The UN World Food Program reported critical child malnutrition in a third of the provinces, exacerbated by funding shortages. UN Women highlighted the severe restrictions on women, emphasizing their damaging impact on Afghanistan’s future, particularly in education and healthcare sectors.