Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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February 26, 2026 International law
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on Thursday for political dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan amid border clashes and deadly airstrikes. He also condemned the tightening of "apartheid-like" decrees by the de facto Taliban authorities, which continue to severely infringe on the rights of women and girls.
"The situation requires urgent political dialogue, not further escalation of force," he said. There are reports of a sharp rise in civilian casualties during cross-border clashes with Pakistani forces, which are reportedly strike blows against armed groups hiding in Afghanistan.
According to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), 70 civilians were killed and another 478 were injured in the country in the last three months of 2025. "This week, casualties were recorded again – 13 civilians were killed and several were injured as a result of Pakistani airstrikes," Türk noted.
Consequences of the decrees
Taliban regulations passed since the capture of Kabul in 2021 expand the list of crimes punishable by death and allow the use of physical violence against women and children in the home.
Criticism of the authorities is also criminalized. As a result, according to Türk, Afghanistan is practically burying the concept of human rights. "The system of segregation resembles apartheid – based not on race, but on gender," he said at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
De facto authorities have effectively criminalized the presence of women and girls in public lifeThey are prohibited from pursuing education beyond the primary level and from working in most fields. Discrimination affects access to healthcare, participation in public life, freedom of movement, and expression.
Strengthening control
The High Commissioner noted that "morality" laws are used to force men to grow beards and women to adhere to strict rules on wearing the hijab.
The so-called "Law for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice" is also used to restrict women's freedom of movement—they are forbidden from leaving the house without a male guardian. Music and images of living creatures are prohibited.
Since September 7 last year, the de facto authorities banned for female UN employees and other Afghan women to enter the Organization's premises throughout the country.
“These restrictions are unprecedented and deeply worrying,” Türk stressed, calling on the international community to increase pressure on the de facto authorities to comply with their international human rights obligations.
International efforts
Türk stressed that human rights violations have direct consequences for peace and security.
The desperate and rapidly deteriorating situation of the people of Afghanistan has long been a source of grave concern to the international community. In addition to the Human Rights Council, which provides a forum for the country's residents to express their views, the situation is regularly discussed in the UN Security Council, where sanctions and other measures, including monitoring, are applied.
The General Assembly also remains engaged in the Afghan agenda and adopts resolutions in support of the people of the country and the creation of a stable, secure and economically self-sufficient state free from terrorism, drug trafficking, transnational crime and corruption.
Arrest warrants
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani.
The warrants state there are "reasonable grounds to believe" they are responsible for crimes against humanity – the persecution of women, girls and other individuals who do not conform to the Taliban's gender policies, as well as individuals perceived to be their allies.
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