Human rights organizations and civil society institutions around the world have repeatedly criticized the policies of the Taliban, which are based on intimidation and oppression of citizens. These criticisms have been officially conveyed to the leaders of the Taliban, who have responded with the clichéd argument that other governments have no right to interfere in their country‘s internal affairs. This type of behavior is often referred to as “something seemingly right with a completely wrong application.”
All governments, as members of the global community, are obligated to coordinate and harmonize their domestic policies with accepted international conventions. These conventions provide general guidelines within a minimum framework, which, with the commitment of governments to them, facilitates coexistence and relationships between countries. These conventions are codes of interaction in the international system, and any violation of them by a government or organization disrupts public order and disturbs the situation on a large scale. Consequently, governments that do not accept these conventions or openly violate some of them are punished by other members of the global community as lawbreakers and troublemakers, through sanctions or other punitive measures, including military intervention, if the behavior of that government includes war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, or similar acts.
No government, organization, or group has the right to infringe upon systematic human rights and perpetrate crimes against humanity under the guise of domestic issues. This is a matter of great importance from both an ethical and legal standpoint. Ethically, countries cannot remain indifferent to such widespread criminal acts, and if their governments do not take action, their people will pressure them through civil institutions and human rights organizations. Legally, remaining silent in the face of violations of international conventions weakens their credibility and encourages law–breaking groups and oppressive governments to engage in activities that disrupt global order, as was the case with Germany and Japan prior to World War II, which ultimately led to the outbreak of that war.
There is no internationally recognized government in Afghanistan, and the group that has taken control of the country has no regard for international law. This group‘s violations of human rights have caused anger, hatred, and enmity to accumulate in various parts of society, creating a situation that could lead to a major explosion with far–reaching consequences. It is important for Taliban lobbyists to make it clear to their clients that suppressing the people, depriving millions of girls of education, suppressing parties, arresting civil activists, extra judicially torturing former military personnel, making protesters disappear, forced displacements, and forcing hundreds of thousands of educated and elites to flee the country are not internal matters of a country. Even if these actions were carried out by a legitimate government, they would still be unacceptable if they were carried out by a rebel group with a history of killings, explosions, and suicides. If Taliban lobbyists are unable to understand this, it is better for them to abandon this profession.
