“New report reveals how Taliban’s brutal offensive in Panjshir constitutes a war crime of collective punishment”

Amnesty International has released a new report documenting the war crimes committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Panjshir province, including torture, extrajudicial executions, and mass arbitrary arrest and detention. After taking control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban retaliated against captured fighters by targeting the civilian population in Panjshir. The Taliban’s tactics of intimidation, including the destruction and seizure of civilian property, placing restrictions on civilian movements, and imposing arbitrary detention and torture, demonstrate a campaign of collective punishment against civilians. Thousands of people are being swept up in the Taliban’s continued oppression, causing widespread misery and fear, says Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard. While many of the individual acts constitute war crimes, their sum amounts to collective punishment, itself a war crime.

Extensive List of War Crimes Committed By the Taliban

The list of Taliban war crimes described in the report is extensive and includes extrajudicial executions, torture, hostage-taking, unlawful detention, and destruction of civilian homes. The ongoing crackdown by the Taliban has resulted in village-wide arbitrary arrests of all adult men and older boys, who are then detained without charge and subjected to beatings and other forms of abuse. The Taliban have also imposed the only night-time curfew in all of Afghanistan, seized civilian homes, and restricted shepherds’ access to their traditional grazing lands. While each individual act is abhorrent, their sum amounts to collective punishment, which Amnesty International is calling on the Taliban to stop immediately.

Taliban’s Campaign of Collective Punishment

The Taliban have committed the war crime of collective punishment against civilians in Afghanistan’s Panjshir province. The Amnesty International report documents serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. The Taliban have retaliated against captured fighters by targeting the civilian population in Panjshir, subjecting them to torture, extrajudicial executions, and mass arbitrary arrest and detention. The Taliban also restrict shepherds’ access to their traditional grazing lands and place restrictions on civilian movements. While each individual act could constitute a war crime on its own, their sum amounts to collective punishment, which is itself a war crime. The people of Afghanistan have endured crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations and abuses with little accountability, both before and after August 2021. Amnesty International is calling on the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent international accountability mechanism for Afghanistan.

Need for Accountability and International Action

The lack of credible domestic infrastructure for accountability means that evidence of crimes is at a serious risk of disappearing or being destroyed. Amnesty International is calling for the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan to be fully resourced, and for UN member states and the International Criminal Court to use such evidence to conduct full investigations into all parties to the conflict. The creation of an independent international accountability mechanism is essential, states Agnès Callamard. Amnesty International is renewing its call for the United Nations Human Rights Council to create an independent international accountability mechanism with a focus on preserving evidence for future justice processes, including prosecutions as well as public reporting and monitoring.

Conclusion and Advice

The war crimes committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Panjshir province demonstrate a campaign of collective punishment against civilians designed to force compliance and submission. The Taliban’s tactics, including the destruction and seizure of civilian property, restrictions on civilian movements, and imposition of arbitrary detention and torture, are clear violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. The international community should take immediate action to hold those responsible accountable and provide support for the victims. Amnesty International’s call to establish an independent international accountability mechanism is essential to prevent further atrocities and preserve evidence for future justice processes. It is the responsibility of the international community to ensure that the victims of Taliban war crimes receive justice, truth, and reparations.

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