General situation addressed

Cases
Case status
Unknown
Location of case in SG report
2023-003-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2023
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 33.93911

Longitude: 67.709953

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Afghanistan
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • UN Peace Operation / Political mission
Type of record
General situation addressed
Gender
Gender unclear
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Type of rights defended
  • Unclear in SG Report
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal

cooperation with the United Nations, women working for the United Nations

Engagement with UN body
  • Other
  • UN Peace Operation / Political mission
Type of attempted engagement
  • Unclear
Location of mentioned reprisals
Afghanistan
Reprisal information
  1. Since the Taliban takeover and the significant withdrawal of donor funding, UNAMA has documented the closure of many previously existing support services. As a result, there is very limited support available for individuals who have concerns for their safety linked to their cooperation with the United Nations and/or their human rights and humanitarian work.
  2. During the reporting period, the de facto authorities continued to impose restrictions on the activities of media and civil society actors and violate their rights, arbitrarily detaining civil society and media workers, violently dispersing protests, and banned Afghan women from working for national and international NGOs and imposed severe restrictions on Afghan women working for the United Nations.5 These actions have reportedly contributed to a climate of fear and intimidation, particularly among civil society and media actors, and resulted in self-censorship by individuals and groups who refrain from voicing dissent and, in some instances, limit interactions with the United Nations due to fears of retribution by the de facto authorities.
  3. In this context, civil society actors and human rights defenders have largely discontinued their activities in most provinces, fearful of repercussions and restrictions imposed by the de facto authorities. United Nations interlocutors regularly report fears for their safety if they discuss human rights issues with UNAMA and often either request that what they say be kept confidential or simply decide not to report what happened to them. UNAMA has had to take additional steps to address the protection concerns raised by a number of actors during the reporting period.
Types of reprisals suffered
  • Physical attack: Physical attack - General
  • Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
Alleged/likely perpetrators
State actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
Yes
Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
No
Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
Yes