Human Rights Watch slams ‘ruthless’ Taliban govt after ban on protest

KABUL: Human Rights Watch slammed on Thu­rsday the “ruthless effort to suppress all dissent” by the Taliban government, after a new police law banned demonstrations across Afghanistan.

The 84-page legislation published by the justice ministry outlines a series of changes to law enforcement nationwide, including the rule that “all types of protests are banned”.

Elaine Pearson, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said the measure is “another step in the Taliban’s ruthless effort to suppress all dissent”.

“The Taliban authorities fear any dissent and so they are escalating their repression,” she said in a statement.

The Afghan government did not respond to requests for comment on protests being outlawed through the legislation, which was made public this month.

Demonstrations have been rare during the Taliban administration’s five years in power. At least two people were killed in June when security forces allegedly opened fire at a women’s rights protest in Herat, a group of UN experts said.

Amnesty International described the police law as “another sweeping assault on human rights in Afghanistan”, with the protest ban “among its most egregious provisions”.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2026