Afghanistan has, over the past five years, witnessed one of the most profound political, social and humanitarian crises of its contemporary history. The Taliban’s return to power on August 15, 2021, was not merely a change of regime; it marked the beginning of a new phase of political, social and civic restrictions for millions of Afghanistan’s citizens. During this period, many of the basic freedoms and rights of citizens have been curtailed, and the country’s public space has been shaped in such a way that criticism, protest, civic activity, and political participation face pressure and restriction.
The Taliban is a fundamentalist group with a rigid and exclusivist reading of religion and politics. Its experience in power has shown that the group is not only seeking to run the country’s political structure according to its own outlook, but is also striving to impose that same ideological framework on various aspects of people’s social, cultural and private lives.
The issue of Afghanistan is not simply a dispute between two political currents. The central issue is the confrontation between a monopolistic system and the concepts of citizenship, freedom, equality, and fundamental human rights. In a modern society, government must serve its citizens, and law must protect their rights. But when a group considers itself the sole owner of political and social truth, the citizen is no longer a rights holder; instead, they become someone who must simply obey orders.
Fundamentalism and the Denial of Citizenship Rights
One of the fundamental problems of Taliban rule is the absence of an inclusive political system based on genuine citizen participation. A government can build lasting legitimacy only when people have a share in determining their own political destiny and can express their views about the country’s future without fear. But in Afghanistan’s current structure, political space for parties, political opponents, and independent institutions is extremely limited. Major political decisions are made within a closed structure, and people have insufficient opportunity to participate in shaping the country’s political direction. This situation weakens the very concept of citizenship.
A citizen is not someone whose only duty is to obey the government. A citizen has the right to criticize the government, to question its policies, to take part in social and political activities, and to defend their own rights. If a government demands only obedience from its citizens while remaining unaccountable for their rights, the relationship between state and society shifts from one between citizen and government to one between ruler and ruled. Afghanistan today needs a new social contract more than ever, one in which all citizens, without discrimination, regard themselves as owners of the country.
Freedom of Expression, the First Victim of Repression
Freedom of expression is one of the most fundamental pillars of a free society. Without it, corruption remains hidden, social problems go unaddressed, and government drifts away from the realities of society. A journalist must be able to ask questions. A civil society activist must be able to defend people’s rights. A university professor must be able to express their scholarly views. An ordinary citizen, too, must have the right to criticize the government’s performance. But whenever criticism is treated as hostility and questioning is seen as a threat, society moves toward silence.
Silencing the voices of critics may produce quiet in the short term, but enforced silence never amounts to public consent. A society that does not speak out of fear is not necessarily satisfied; it may instead be a society that does not feel safe expressing its views.
A free press is not a threat to government; it is government’s mirror. If a government fears the mirror, the problem does not lie in the mirror, but in a reality the government does not want seen.
Women, the Primary Victims of Taliban Policies
Among all the restrictions imposed, women and girls in Afghanistan have suffered the greatest harm. Denying girls education, restricting women’s employment, limiting their presence in public life and reducing their role in social structures amount not only to a violation of women’s rights but also to a serious blow to Afghanistan’s future.
Women make up half of Afghan society. Excluding half the population from scientific, economic, social and political life means eliminating half the country’s capacity for development. A girl denied an education today could have become tomorrow’s teacher, doctor, engineer, journalist, judge, researcher, entrepreneur or community leader. The issue of girls’ education is therefore not merely a family matter; it is a matter concerning the future of a nation. A society that deprives its women of equal opportunity cannot expect sustainable development. Women’s rights should not be a privilege that a government grants or withdraws at will. The right to education, the right to work, the right to social participation, and the right to choose are all part of fundamental human rights.
Education, a Battle Over Afghanistan’s Future
Education is one of the most important assets of any country. Over the past two decades, Afghanistan witnessed the growth of a generation of educated young people present in universities, media, civil society institutions, the private sector, sports,s and various areas of social life. But educational restrictions, particularly against girls, have placed the future of this human capital at serious risk.
A country that denies its children and youth an education is, in effect, undermining its own economic, scientific and political future. Education is not merely learning to read and write. It gives people the capacity to think, question, choose, analyze and take responsibility. An educated society can address its problems through dialogue and scientific solutions. For this reason, the denial of education must be regarded as one of the most serious crises facing Afghanistan today.
The Right to Life and the Right to Security
The right to life is the most fundamental human right. No government can claim successful governance without guaranteeing the physical security of its citizens. But security does not simply mean the absence of war in the streets. Genuine security exists only when citizens have no fear of arbitrary arrest, torture, threats, violence, or political pressure.
A journalist feels secure only when they can report freely. A civil society activist feels secure only when they can defend people’s rights. A woman feels secure only when she can be present in society without fear. Security without freedom and justice, then, is not complete security. Security accompanied by fear more closely resembles enforced silence than lasting safety.
Arrest, Torture and Repression
One of the most painful aspects of Afghanistan’s current situation is the reports of arrest, torture, threats, and repression against critics and social activists. The arrest of a single citizen does not merely restrict that individual’s freedom; it also places pressure on their family. When a civil society activist or journalist feels endangered because of their peaceful activities, others receive the same message of fear. In this way, the repression of one individual can lead to the silencing of an entire society.
Yet history has shown that repression cannot destroy ideas. A voice may be silenced for a time, but the demand for justice does not disappear. A journalist may be unable to publish their report, but the reality of society still exists. A civil society activist may be arrested, but the demand for human rights does not stop.
Civic Activity and Human Rights
Civil society is one of the most important pillars of a healthy society. Civic institutions can serve as a bridge between people and government and can raise citizens’ concerns. A human rights activist is not an enemy of society; they are someone striving to ensure that human rights are respected. A civil society activist is likewise not a threat; they are part of society working to resolve social problems.
Restricting civic activity is, in effect, restricting society’s capacity to resolve its problems peacefully. Afghanistan needs an active civil society, a free press, independent universities, engaged youth and empowered women. A society that silences all these voices will, in the end, have only one voice left, that of the government. But a healthy society must have many voices.
Forced Marriage and Women’s Right to Choose
Marriage is one of the most important decisions in a person’s life and must be based on the free consent of both parties. Any form of coercion, threat, or pressure regarding marriage violates a person’s right to choose. Women and girls in Afghanistan must have the right to decide about their own lives, education, work and future.
A society that denies girls the right to choose not only violates their rights but also destroys their capacity to help build the country’s future. Afghanistan needs a society in which women are full citizens, not individuals whose fate is determined solely by others’ decisions.
Economic and Social Pressure
Afghanistan’s political crisis is also linked to an economic crisis. When women are excluded from the labor market, young people lack adequate job opportunities, private sector activity is restricted, and the country’s human capital emigrate; the economy suffers as well. Poverty is not only an economic problem; poverty can also destroy social hope.
A young person who sees no future for themselves may be forced to migrate or become vulnerable to extremist groups. For this reason, fighting poverty is not possible without economic freedom, education, employment, and the participation of women and youth.
The Flight of Human Capital
One of Afghanistan’s great losses in recent years has been the large-scale emigration of its workforce. The country is losing not only laborers, but also doctors, university professors, engineers, journalists, civil society activists, athletes, entrepreneurs,s and educated young people. This phenomenon is extremely dangerous for Afghanistan’s future.
Human capital cannot be rebuilt in just a few years. Training a doctor, professor, engineer, or researcher requires years of time and resources. If the country’s political and social climate leaves skilled individuals feeling they have no future, they will choose the path of migration. To rebuild itself, Afghanistan needs capable people more than anything else.
Afghanistan Belongs to All Its Citizens
Afghanistan is not the country of one group, one ethnicity, one language,e or one political current. Afghanistan belongs to all its citizens. Women and men, young and old, urban and rural residents, and people of different ethnicities and social groups are all part of Afghanistan. No group can build a sustainable future by excluding a large portion of society.
Genuine governance takes shape only when citizens feel they hold rights in their own country. If a woman feels she is a second-class citizen, if a journalist fears speaking the truth, if a civil society activist fears their own activities, and if an educated young person seeks their future outside the country, it shows that the crisis is not merely political; it is a crisis in the relationship between government and society.
The Way Out of the Crisis
To emerge from crisis, Afghanistan needs a comprehensive political and social solution. The solution for Afghanistan is not more violence. The solution lies in creating space for dialogue, political participation, and respect for people’s fundamental rights. The government must understand that power without accountability is not sustainable. Society, too, must be able to express its demands without fear.
Afghanistan needs a political structure in which the law applies equally to all, the rights of women and men are guaranteed, education is available to everyone, freedom of expression is respected, and civic and political activity is recognized. These are not luxury demands; they are the foundations of a healthy society.
Closing Remarks
Today’s issue for Afghanistan is not simply who governs the country; the more important issue is how the government governs and what place human rights hold within that governance. No government can build a stable future for Afghanistan by excluding women, silencing the media, restricting education, suppressing critics, and pressuring civil society.
To escape this crisis, the country needs law, justice, freedom and participation. The right to life, the right to security, the right to education, the right to freedom of expression, the right to work, the right to political participation and the right to choose are not privileges granted by government; they are the fundamental rights of the people.
If the Taliban want a stable future for Afghanistan, they must accept that Afghanistan belongs to all its people, and that no single group can claim absolute ownership over a nation’s destiny.
Afghanistan will break free from the cycle of crisis only when its citizens can live without fear, when women and men enjoy equal rights, when girls return to school and university, when the media can operate freely, when civil society activists can defend people’s rights, and when the government is accountable to its people.
The path to Afghanistan’s salvation does not lie in silencing the voices of its people; it lies in listening to them. Afghanistan’s future must not be built on fear; it must be built on freedom, equality, justice, law,w and human dignity.
You can read the Persian version of this analysis article here:
طالبان و فروپاشی حقوق شهروندی؛ افغانستان در محاصره بنیادگرایی و استبداد
