The Taliban regime announced on Tuesday May 17 that it had dissolved the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), an organization which notably monitored the violence committed against the population, judging that it was “no
longer considered necessary
”.
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The AIHRC is added to the list of bodies closed by the Islamists since their return to power last August, including the Electoral Commission and the Ministry of Women's Affairs.
It was one of the few bodies to which Afghans could turn over the past twenty years to denounce abuses by government forces, the Taliban or other armed groups.
It published studies and press releases on the human rights situation in Afghanistan deemed credible and regularly quoted by the country's media and experts.
"
We have other organizations that can carry out activities on human rights, organs related to the judicial system,
" Taliban government deputy spokesman Inamullah Samangani told AFP, without specifying the authorities. concerned.
The AIHRC, which had been registering war victims for more than two decades, ceased operations when the Taliban overthrew the American-backed government, which was withdrawing from the country.
The leaders of the commission then fled abroad.
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A deficit of nearly 44 billion
Several other bodies, including the High National Council for Reconciliation, charged with promoting peace in the country, were shut down along with the AIHRC last weekend as the Taliban government announced its first annual budget.
“
These services are no longer considered necessary, so they have been disbanded.
But they will be able to resume an activity in the future if we need them
,” added Inamullah Samangani.
The Taliban regime has a deficit of nearly 44 billion Afghanis (nearly 500 million euros), a consequence of the halt after their return to power of international aid, which until then financed almost all of the government budget.
The closure of the AIHRC was notably denounced by Heather Barr, of the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW).
"
It was very important (for the Afghans) to have an organization to go to to ask for help or seek justice
", she tweeted, judging it "
shocking to see a country going backwards in this way
".
The Taliban have regained power by announcing a more flexible regime than during their first rigorous reign.
But in recent months they have begun to repress opposition and erode freedoms, especially for women in education, work and daily life.
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