The Taliban applied the same heavy-handed tactics it was initially known for in the 1990s. A recent report by the United Nations criticized the movement for carrying out public executions, floggings and stoning since it seized power in Afghanistan and demanded that the country’s rulers stop such practices.

The report from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said the Taliban had publicly flogged 274 men, 58 women and two boys in the past 6 months alone, asserting that corporal punishment was a violation of the Convention Against Torture and must stop.

Continuing Penalties

The Taliban began implementing such sanctions shortly after coming to power nearly two years ago, despite initial promises of a more moderate rule than during its previous rule in the 1990s, and during its rule from 1996 to 2001 the Taliban was denounced; “Because of public executions, including floggings, at Kabul National Stadium, the government has vowed not to revert to the harsh treatment of people, but since taking power, women’s freedoms have been curtailed and women have been beaten up for demanding their rights.”

Restrictions on women

The first restrictions on women, imposed after a ban on them attending secondary school, were Taliban orders not to travel more than 72km without escorting a male family member.

In March 2022, the Taliban government announced the reopening of secondary schools for girls but closed them after a few hours. Just two months later, a decree was issued requiring women to wear clothes covering them from head to toe, including the face. In November, women and girls were banned from entering gardens, gyms, and swimming pools. Girls were banned from choosing fields such as economics, engineering and journalism at the university, and a shocking decision was made, universities were closed to female students, and women were banned from working for international and local non-governmental organizations, except those in the health sector.

International position

Ibrahim Rabie, an analyst on terrorist groups, said the Taliban continue to violate the Afghan people in line with the policies they have been following in the past, including torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests and detention, and the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

He added that it is imperative to take a firm and strong international stance against this movement to confront those terrorist crimes that violate the freedoms of the Afghan people, pointing out that silence towards these crimes opens the way once again for terrorist groups to spread their dark ideas that target the security of the region.