What Did UNAMA’s Afghanistan Rights Report Find, And Why Is The Taliban Objecting?

The Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have accused the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) of bias after its July–September 2026 human rights update documented at least 443 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention and 97 incidents of ill-treatment of Afghan women and men.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban administration, accused UNAMA of spreading propaganda and presenting a negative image of Afghanistan, arguing that the mission should remain neutral and rely on accurate information.

The report documents restrictions on women and girls, arrests linked to religious and social rules, pressure on journalists, civilian casualties in cross-border incidents involving Pakistani military forces, and action against Shia-affiliated institutions.

Taliban Questions UNAMA’s Neutrality

“Instead of acting as a neutral organization to bring Afghanistan and the international community closer together and resolve misunderstandings, UNAMA is engaged in propaganda against the government inside Afghanistan and is trying to present a negative image of the country. Such an approach is inconsistent with the organization's principle of neutrality,” he said, according to TOLOnews.

Mujahid also maintained that arrests carried out by official institutions were conducted under the laws in force in Afghanistan.

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said UNAMA had documented at least 443 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention and 97 incidents of ill-treatment involving personnel of the Taliban administration's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

The cases involved enforcement of rules on hijab, beards, hairstyles, congregational prayers and music.

During July, August and September, the mission also documented more than 50 instances in which women were arrested, detained or cautioned over alleged violations of the Taliban administration's hijab instructions. The majority of arrests took place in Herat, where the chador remains the required form of covering. Additional cases were recorded in Kabul and Badakhshan.

In one case, a 13-year-old girl was detained overnight for allegedly violating the hijab instruction and released the following day after her father collected her. In Herat, inspectors arrested 10 women for not wearing chadors and held them until their guardians and local representatives assured authorities they would comply with the rules.

In another incident, inspectors briefly detained a father shopping with his 12-year-old daughter because she was not wearing a burqa. He was released following mediation by bystanders, while the inspectors instructed him to buy a burqa for his daughter.

Women's rights activist Tafsir Siahpoosh called on the Taliban administration to respect women's rights and urged the international community to support Afghan women.

“First, we call on the Islamic Emirate to respect our rights, and then we ask the international community to stand alongside the women of Afghanistan,” she said, according to TOLOnews.

Girls’ Education, Women’s Movement And Media Restrictions

September marked five years since girls were barred from formal education beyond grade six. Secondary schools were initially closed to girls in September 2021, with the ban on education beyond grade six confirmed in March 2022. Women and girls have also been barred from higher education since December 2022.

In an interview published on 25 August, Mujahid said the issue of girls' education remained unresolved, adding that religious scholars needed to reach a common position on the matter.

The report documents restrictions on women's movement, with inspectors preventing women from entering health facilities and shops without a mahram, a male relative or guardian required under the rules. On 8 August, two women were stopped from entering a health facility in Parwan province, while a woman was barred from a market in Helmand province on 17 August.

The restrictions also extend to UN premises. 7 September marked one year since the Taliban administration barred Afghan women, including female Afghan UN staff, from entering UN premises across the country.

The report separately records Mujahid's comments on women's employment. In an interview with the BBC published on 16 August, he said it was not a woman's right to work in an office. He said women could work in sectors including healthcare, education and policing, as well as at passport offices and airports, where the administration considered their employment necessary under its interpretation of Sharia.

Media organisations and journalists also faced restrictions during the reporting period.

On July 27, the Ministry of Justice suspended Radio Eslah in Kabul, citing the station's name and its association with a political group during the previous republican government. The station remained suspended at the time of the report.

The General Directorate of Intelligence suspended Lapis Media Centre on August 26, allegedly because of its links to media outlets based overseas. On September 6, the authorities suspended Rah-e-Farda TV, a Shia-owned broadcaster that had also faced a suspension earlier in 2026. Tamadon TV, suspended since June 23, resumed operations through an online platform from abroad.

UNAMA said media outlets were sometimes suspended without being clearly informed of the reasons, while no clear procedure existed for appealing such decisions.

The mission also documented the arrest of a journalist in Badakhshan province on August 5 over his criticism of what he described as discriminatory treatment of the province's residents. He was released the following day. Another journalist, arrested in July 2025, remained in intelligence custody without a court conviction at the time of the update.

Civilian Casualties, Shia Institutions And Other Rights Violations

UNAMA recorded 512 civilian deaths and 1,236 injuries resulting from cross-border incidents between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026. During July–September 2026, such incidents caused 33 civilian casualties, including 13 deaths and 20 injuries.

Among the incidents documented was an airstrike by Pakistani military forces in Kunar province on September 21. The strike hit a house, killing three civilians, including a 16-year-old girl, and injuring four others.

During the night of 30 September and 1 October, an airstrike by Pakistani military forces in Kunar province killed six civilians — three girls, two boys and a man — and injured three others. A separate Pakistani airstrike struck residential buildings in Garmsir district of Helmand province, killing at least four civilians — two girls, a boy and a woman — and injuring 12 others, including seven girls, four boys and a woman, according to UNAMA. The strikes occurred overnight from 30 September into 1 October, with the 1 October casualties falling outside the July–September reporting period.

The UNAMA update also documents arrests involving institutions affiliated with Afghanistan's Shia community. On September 5, authorities arrested 28 male staff members of Khatam Al-Nabiyyin University in Kabul. Four were released on the same day, while the remaining 24 were released on September 8 and 9.

The Ministry of Higher Education revoked the university's operating licence on September 16, including that of its branch in Ghazni province. The ministry's spokesperson cited alleged regulatory violations and a failure to implement corrective measures.

On September 27, the Ministry of Justice closed seven establishments primarily serving the Shia community in western Kabul. They included a medical clinic, two educational institutions, a sports club, two madrasas and a mosque.

The report also documented judicial corporal punishment against 28 people, including six women, during the three-month period. In one case, a court in Ghazni province ordered four men and one woman to receive between 36 and 39 lashes each for offences including theft and extramarital relationships.

UNAMA also documented at least 14 instances of arbitrary arrest and detention and at least four killings of former members of Afghanistan's National Defence and Security Forces between July and September. The report said former government officials and security personnel returning to Afghanistan remained at risk of human rights violations despite the general amnesty announced by the Taliban authorities in August 2021.