The Kabul Tribune (KT) — The Taliban authorities have taken steps to strengthen discipline and oversight of their security institutions since returning to power, but a lack of transparency and unresolved complaints continue to undermine accountability, the United Nations said Monday.
The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, known as UNAMA,
made the assessment in a 38-page report examining efforts by the Taliban
authorities since August 2021 to oversee and hold accountable their main
security institutions.
The report said Taliban authorities have issued directives,
established internal monitoring units and created new bodies to address alleged
misconduct by security personnel.
But UNAMA said those measures have not been accompanied by
sufficient public information about complaints, investigations or disciplinary
and judicial actions taken against security personnel.
The report identified several Taliban bodies involved in
oversight and accountability, including the Security and Filtration Commission,
the High Directorate of Supervision and Monitoring of Decrees and Edicts, the
Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Commission for Hearing
Complaints, and the Supreme Court.
“The limited amount of public information on complaints
received, investigations conducted, and disciplinary or judicial actions taken
by relevant de facto bodies undermine confidence and weaken deterrence,” said
Georgette Gagnon, UNAMA’s deputy special representative of the U.N.
secretary-general and officer-in-charge.
“Visible and consistent accountability measures indicate
that rules are applied equally and to every person, including those in
positions of authority,” Gagnon said.
UNAMA documented cases in which Taliban authorities arrested
and investigated security personnel accused of misconduct and referred some
cases to Taliban military courts.
At the same time, many complaints reportedly remain
unresolved, the report said. Fear of reprisals, a lack of trust in Taliban
institutions and barriers to reporting alleged misconduct discourage people
from coming forward.
Women face additional obstacles because of restrictions
imposed on them in their daily lives, according to UNAMA.
The U.N. mission called on the Taliban authorities to
strengthen accountability across all security institutions and ensure that
clear rules, procedures and codes of conduct are established and consistently
enforced.
UNAMA recommended clearer rules governing the use of force,
arrests, detention, searches and crowd control, as well as professional conduct
standards for security personnel.
The report also called for commanders to be responsible for
enforcing discipline and for security personnel to be required to report
misconduct.
UNAMA said accountability should be built into security
operations before, during and after they take place through effective training,
supervision and prompt, impartial investigations. Serious cases should be
referred to courts when appropriate, it said.
The report urged the Taliban authorities to establish
complaint mechanisms that are accessible, safe and inclusive, allowing people
to report alleged misconduct without fear of retaliation or discrimination.
It also called for greater protection for victims, witnesses
and whistleblowers and measures to prevent interference in monitoring,
complaint handling and investigations.
UNAMA recommended that the Taliban authorities regularly
publish information on complaints, misconduct cases and disciplinary or
judicial actions taken by security institutions, oversight bodies and courts.
The U.N. mission also urged stronger systems for collecting
and maintaining data to identify patterns of misconduct and measure progress.
Gagnon said improving accountability was both a legal
obligation of the Taliban authorities and an important step toward better
governance and respect for human rights.
Such measures, she said, could also support Afghanistan’s stability,
compliance with international obligations and eventual reintegration into the
international community.
