Overview
- Taliban forces searched and sealed the Women and Children Legal Research Foundation office in Kabul on June 21 and confiscated staff laptops and phones.
- The NGO’s leadership team of six men was summoned to the office and taken into custody on July 18 and their families have received no information about their location, health, or any charges.
- This week the United Nations confirmed two Afghan members of UNAMA were detained in Herat and said its mission has not been told the charges or been allowed to visit them.
- Taliban spokespeople say they are still “gathering details” about the detentions while Human Rights Watch is demanding immediate release and access for families and lawyers.
- Rights groups warn the pattern of enforced disappearance and selective raids has narrowed space for women’s rights work, harmed families emotionally and practically, and could further hinder aid flows and rights reporting in Afghanistan.