Following reports published by the United Nations regarding allegations of sexual harassment and rape of women in Taliban detention centers, Rahmatullah Nabil, the former head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS), strongly criticized the Taliban and called for an independent, transparent, and impartial investigation into these allegations.
Nabil emphasized that if these reports prove to be true, the issue would not merely constitute an individual violation or an ordinary incident; rather, it would involve accusations that seriously call into question the moral, religious, and human legitimacy of Afghanistan’s current rulers. He questioned why the Taliban do not welcome independent fact-finding missions into prisons and detention facilities and why these centers remain closed to international organizations.
The former Afghan intelligence chief also held the Taliban leadership responsible for any potential abuses occurring in prisons, stating that a government that controls all structures of power and decision-making cannot claim to be free of responsibility in the face of such allegations.
In another part of his remarks, Nabil criticized the silence of some religious scholars, saying that defending human dignity, protecting the honor of women, and supporting the oppressed are fundamental Islamic values, and that no one should remain silent in the face of such accusations.
The Taliban have so far denied allegations of human rights violations in their detention facilities. However, international human rights organizations and the United Nations have repeatedly called for independent access to detention centers.
Writer:Salima Hakimi
