Over the past eighteen months, the only thing that has been widely advertised and propagated is the notion of security, which only a small portion of the people agree with. To prove this, the Taliban have allowed some tourists and YouTubers to make trips to various provinces and aid them in their campaign to demonstrate that Afghanistan is secure; however, beneath this seemingly tranquil facade lies violence and chaos. By implementing discriminatory policies, the Taliban have put all non–Taliban in physical and mental insecurity. They have isolated the educated class, urban dwellers, and those who have worked for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, instilling fear of prosecution in their hearts. As a result, a large group of the country‘s residents live in fear that they may be tortured or killed one day. Discrimination against women has brought about a gradual death for half of the society. Millions of people are suffering psychological insecurity, some have left the country, while others inside the country have sought refuge in conservatism and silence.
During this period, the Taliban have tortured and killed thousands of people throughout the country, making it commonplace to see death bodies every day. Yesterday, news of the death of Mirwais Noorzai, a former soldier, was published in Herat. It is reported that Mr. Noorzai was detained by the Taliban four days before his tortured body was handed over to his family. Families are left to bury their loved ones with immense pain and sorrow, and with no recourse to file a complaint. Over the past one and a half years, thousands of people have been killed silently away from public view, without the sound of a bullet or the screams of those killed. Consequently, the insecurity of these thousands of people and their families remains ignored in the face of the authoritarian silence that dominates society. A large number of these compatriots are buried in unknown graves as unknown bodies. The Taliban conceal this killing and use it to intimidate the people. Last month, Kabul municipality reported that they had buried 144 unidentified bodies in the course of three months. If we add the number of dead bodies that are handed over to the families and those that are buried in unknown graves before reaching the municipality, the total number is likely to be much greater when looking at the larger picture across the country.
The reports published by international organizations do not adequately reflect the events that have taken place. In Richard Bennett‘s second report, published last month, the faces of the victims were blurred and their suffering was ignored. Bennett only discussed collective oppression. The Taliban have not paid any attention to human rights reports, people‘s protests, or global reaction since they came to power, prioritizing Sharia law over human rights and openly mocking human rights and showing contempt for its regional offices in Afghanistan. For example, they recently converted the Badakhshan Human Rights Commission provincial office into a religious madrassa. Additionally, in a symbolic move, they changed the Ministry of Women‘s Affairs to the Ministry of Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil, effectively making it the center of the fight against women and freedom.
The Taliban‘s claims of providing security are false and are merely a form of media propaganda, similar to their previous false claim that “Taliban 2.0 have changed“. This regime, whose primary abilities are intimidation, harassment, torture, and killing, will continue to cause terror and insecurity.
