Taliban marks 5 years back in power as Afghan women remain shut out of public life

Taliban officials gathered at the Loya Jirga hall in Kabul on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of their return to power, claiming they have brought stability and an end to decades of conflict. The ceremony, which featured no women, took place as the Taliban administration remains internationally isolated. Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban government’s deputy spokesman, stated during the event that they pray for a homeland protected from foreign interference and insecurity under Sharia-based governance.

In contrast, Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, warned in a video message of a deepening human rights crisis. He stated that the current system amounts to the crime against humanity of gender persecution. According to Bennett, beyond the ban on education for girls over 12, the country continues to face arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression.

UNESCO estimates that approximately 2.4 million girls have been excluded from secondary education in Afghanistan. Furthermore, UN Women has emphasized that the restrictions imposed on women and girls are damaging the country's social and economic foundations. Despite these reports, Molvi Hayatullah Mahajar Farahi, a deputy minister in the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture, told the Associated Press that the administration has delivered security and infrastructure improvements over the past five years.