The Taliban’s leader, Haibatullah Akhunzada, has warned that Afghans ungrateful for its hardline rule will be severely punished by God in a statement marking the fourth anniversary of the group’s return to power.
In his statement, Akhunzada said Afghans had faced hardships for decades in the name of establishing religious law in the country, which he said had saved citizens from “corruption, oppression, usurpation, drugs, theft, robbery and plunder”. “These are great divine blessings that our people should not forget and, during the commemoration of Victory Day, express great gratitude to Allah Almighty so that the blessings will increase,” his statement said.
“If, against God’s will, we fail to express gratitude for blessings and are ungrateful for them, we will be subjected to the severe punishment of Allah Almighty.” Akhunzada’s statement was a stark reminder of the sweeping restrictions and repression of rights, especially of women and girls, that has taken place under the Taliban’s rule. The group has imposed strict rules on women, including a ban on working for nongovernmental groups, and has restricted their access to education, parks, gyms, and travel without a male guardian.
Four years on from its return to power, the Taliban government remains largely isolated in the international arena over the severe rights restrictions imposed under its rule. Russia became the first country to officially recognise the Taliban administration in early July, but the group’s relations with other countries remain strained. The United Nations, foreign governments, and human rights groups have condemned the Taliban for their treatment of women and girls, who are banned from most education and work.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Akhunzada and the country’s chief justice on charges of committing gender-based persecution against women and girls. ICC judges said the Taliban had “severely deprived” girls and women of the rights to education, privacy, family life, and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience, and religion. At least 1.4 million girls have been “deliberately deprived” of their right to an education by the Taliban government, a UN report from August 2024 found.
Despite the Taliban’s efforts to suppress dissent, Afghan women held indoor protests in the northeastern province of Takhar and in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. The protests were a testament to the ongoing resistance against the Taliban’s oppressive rule. Meanwhile, dozens of Afghan women working for the UN in the country had received direct death threats, according to a UN report. The Taliban told the UN mission that its cadres were not responsible for the threats, and an Interior Ministry investigation is underway.
The Taliban’s repression of women and girls has sparked widespread condemnation, with many calling for the international community to take action to protect the rights of Afghan women. As the Taliban continues to consolidate its power, the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan remains dire.