Taliban Ministry Rejects UN Report on Rights Violations

The Taliban Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has dismissed as baseless a recent United Nations report detailing violations of women's and citizens' rights in Afghanistan. Sayf al-Islam Khyber, spokesman for the ministry, stated on Sunday that no arbitrary actions, arrests, or violence against women and men have occurred, urging people not to believe UN reports on Afghanistan.

Khyber claimed all enforcers' activities are based on Islamic Sharia and the group's laws, describing UNAMA's quarterly report allegations as contrary to realities on the ground. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that ministry enforcers prevented women from walking in Zabul province and halted their morning exercises on October 8, warning them not to leave home for sports thereafter. UNAMA documented at least 520 arbitrary arrests and 50 cases of mistreatment by enforcers against women and men during the period.

The report also stated that a Taliban court ordered the arrest of an underage girl for refusing forced marriage, with her remaining in detention. This is not the first time Taliban officials have rejected UN human rights reports on Afghanistan.

Kabul Governor Aminullah Abid described the Promotion of Virtue law as divine during a Sunday committee meeting, instructing officials to deal with people using soft language, good morals, and Islamic principles. Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, called the law a severe setback for rights. UNAMA previously cited World Bank findings that the law costs Afghanistan's economy $1.5 billion annually. Amnesty International labeled it an outrageous attack on human rights, while Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Deputy Secretary-General, described it as against human conscience.

Afghanistan International published a video on Saturday showing a forced confession from a teenage girl in Helmand province who dressed as a boy named Noor Ahmad to work in a restaurant and support her family, as no male breadwinner was available. A Taliban enforcer questioned her about her job at Hakmatullah restaurant, where she had worked for three years.