United Nations experts have documented 443 cases of arbitrary detention in Afghanistan between July and September 2026. The latest quarterly report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also cites cases of ill-treatment, restrictions on women and girls, pressure on the media and persecution of religious minorities. Taliban administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid criticized the report, saying it creates a negative image of the country and contradicts the UN's principle of neutrality.
According to the UNAMA report, published on October 15, officials of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice carried out at least 443 detentions over three months that the mission classified as arbitrary. The UN also documented 97 cases of ill-treatment of men and women by the ministry's personnel.
The detentions were linked mainly to alleged violations of government-imposed rules on hijab, beards and hairstyles, failure to attend congregational prayers, and listening to or playing music.
More than 50 recorded incidents involved the detention of women and girls, or warnings issued to them, over alleged violations of hijab rules. Most were recorded in Herat, while others occurred in Kabul and Badakhshan province.
The report also cites at least 14 detentions of former security force members and four killings of former members of those forces. Corporal punishment was recorded against 28 people during the period.
UNAMA also reported pressure on the media. At least three outlets were suspended during the quarter, including Radio Eslah in Kabul, Lapis Media Centre and the television channel Rah-e-Farda. The mission noted the absence of a clear procedure for appealing media suspensions. The report also describes the closure of institutions linked to the Shiite community and the detention of some of its members.
A separate section of the report examines the impact of cross-border incidents. From July to September, the UN recorded 33 civilian casualties: 13 killed and 20 injured. Over the year from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026, the mission recorded 512 people killed and 1,236 injured in such incidents.
Mujahid rejected UNAMA's criticism. According to Afghan news agency Pajhwok, he said in a post on X that the mission portrays Afghanistan in a negative light and violates the principle of neutrality.
Mujahid described the detentions carried out for alleged violations of rules set by the authorities as lawful. He said the actions of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice comply with existing regulations and aim to prevent behavior that the authorities consider contrary to Sharia.
The Taliban spokesman also faulted UNAMA for what he said was the report's failure to reflect the administration's achievements in humanitarian aid, the resettlement of returning refugees, security and economic projects. He said the mission should help strengthen Afghanistan's relations with the international community rather than spread negative assessments of the country.
UNAMA continues to document the human rights situation and urges Afghanistan's de facto authorities to comply with the country's international obligations. The new report and Mujahid's reaction again highlight the differences between the UN and the Taliban administration over how to assess the actions of state agencies and the state of civil liberties in the country.
