A new human rights report has documented torture, forced confessions, and denial of legal protections against Afghan women detained by the Taliban, raising concerns about the collapse of due process and access to justice under the group’s rule.
KabulNow has published the full report, “Inside Accounts from Detention: Women’s Access to Justice Denied in Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan,” by the Canada-based Forward Together Development Network, which is based on interviews with seven Afghan women who experienced detention, as well as consultations with experts and a review of human rights documentation. The report documents arbitrary arrests, torture, denial of legal representation, and coerced confessions under Taliban rule.
According to the report, women were arbitrarily arrested, denied legal representation, and subjected to physical and psychological abuse while in Taliban custody. Survivors described being detained without warrants, blindfolded, and taken away by armed men without explanation.
One former detainee said she was seized near her home and forced into a vehicle. “There was no document, nothing official,” she said, according to the report. Another survivor described being threatened with a gun and blindfolded before being taken into detention.
The report found that detainees were routinely denied access to lawyers. In some cases, Taliban authorities threatened lawyers who attempted to represent detainees, preventing them from participating in legal proceedings.
“They told my lawyer to leave and threatened to arrest him,” one survivor said. “There was no lawyer there.”
Survivors also described torture and coercion during detention, including beatings, electric shocks, cold-water exposure, and threats of execution. Some women said they were forced to read prepared confessions on camera.
“They made me read what they had written,” one detainee said. “If I tried to speak on my own, they stopped the recording.”
The report documented poor detention conditions, including lack of adequate food, water, sanitation, and medical care. Women described being held in unsanitary facilities and denied basic necessities.
Sexual harassment and degrading treatment were also reported. While only one survivor explicitly reported sexual assault, others described invasive searches, humiliation, and threats. The report noted that stigma and fear may prevent survivors from fully disclosing such abuse.
Women from ethnic and religious minority communities, particularly Hazaras, reported facing additional discrimination. Survivors said they were subjected to ethnic insults and treated differently from other detainees.
The report states that these abuses occurred following major changes to Afghanistan’s legal and judicial system after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. Taliban authorities dissolved key institutions, including the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association, and removed women from judicial and law enforcement roles.
According to the report, the justice system now operates without legal safeguards, with clerics presiding over cases and detainees denied basic fair trial rights.
The report concludes that arbitrary detention, torture, and denial of legal protections violate international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention Against Torture. It warns that widespread or systematic abuses may constitute crimes against humanity under international law.
The report calls for international accountability mechanisms, support for Afghan women’s organizations, and measures to ensure protection of detainees’ rights. It also urges Taliban authorities to end practices that violate international human rights standards and restore access to justice for women.
