A new United Nations (UN) report shows that people forced to return to Afghanistan face serious human rights abuses, including torture, arbitrary detention, and safety threats from Taliban authorities. The study, based on interviews with 49 forced returnees in 2024, found that women, former government workers, journalists, and activists face the biggest risks. Since 2023, hundreds of thousands of Afghans have been sent back, mostly from Pakistan and Iran.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) put together the report as large numbers of Afghans keep getting forced back to a country where the Taliban has imposed harsh restrictions, especially on women and girls. The cases show that despite public claims about amnesty, many returnees still face payback based on who they are or what they did before.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said no one should be sent back to face persecution. “In Afghanistan, this is even worse for women and girls, who face treatment that amounts to persecution just because of their gender,” he said.
One former TV reporter described being under “house detention” after her forced return, with no jobs, limited movement, and no schooling past sixth grade. A former government official told how he was tortured for two nights, including beatings, waterboarding, and mock execution, which broke his leg.
The report calls this a violation of international law, specifically the rule against sending people back to face persecution or torture. It asks countries to check individual cases before any returns and stop sending back those at real risk. States should also create more safe ways out for at-risk Afghans and give more money for helping people settle back in.
Roza Otunbayeva, the UN’s top representative for Afghanistan, said the Taliban has handled the returnee flow well but needs to do more to protect rights. She called on the authorities to follow international law and include all Afghans in the country’s future.
