SW News: Taliban authorities in Afghanistan continue to arbitrarily detain and arrest people who they believe to be members of opposition forces or journalists, as well as restricting women's access to work and education. This was revealed in a report of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released on Monday. It covers the events in the country in May and June.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's top spokesperson, promptly denied the findings, saying they were founded on false information spread by supporters of the previous Afghan government.

The UNAMA report reveals instances of the Taliban enforcing restrictions on women's freedom of movement and employment. It showed a Ministry of Public Health order from early May that stated only men were permitted to sit for exams and pursue advanced medical training. Since last December, the Taliban have prohibited young girls from enrolling in schools past the sixth grade and have prevented female students from attending university.

The report highlighted that two Afghan female staff of a nongovernmental organization were arrested because they were traveling without a male guardian. Women can’t visit public parks, gyms, and public bathhouses. Female-run beauty parlors were ordered to shut down rendering tens of thousands of Afghan women jobless.

The UNAMA report said there were approximately 15,000 prisoners, which is an increase from the average of 10,000 that the Taliban prison administration aimed to maintain since mid-2023. Four journalists were detained in early May in the southeastern Afghan city of Khost. Taliban has rejected criticism of their policies, insisting that Afghanistan should be governed in accordance with local culture and Shariah.

The UNAMA study said that physical punishment continued in May and June despite demands from other countries to stop the practice. Since the Taliban took control in August 2021, numerous people, including women, have been publicly whipped and at least two persons have been executed in front of witnesses.
The hard-line organization regained power, almost two years ago, when NATO and American forces left the nation after over 20 years of fighting.

The international community has chosen not to recognize the Taliban due to its treatment of Afghan women and human rights violations.