27. September 2022

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Berichte über die Lage von Zivilist·innen in der Provinz Pandschir   1

Berichte über die Lage von Personen aus Pandschir in anderen Gebieten des Landes            4

Quellen: (Zugriff auf alle Quellen am 27. September 2022) 6

Anhang: Quellenbeschreibungen und Informationen aus ausgewählten Quellen   9

Kurzbeschreibungen zu den in dieser Anfragebeantwortung verwendeten Quellen sowie Ausschnitte mit Informationen aus diesen Quellen finden Sie im Anhang.

Bitte beachten Sie, dass die in dieser Anfragebeantwortung enthaltenen Dari-Übersetzungen unter Verwendung von technischen Übersetzungshilfen erstellt wurden. Es besteht daher ein erhöhtes Risiko, dass diese Arbeitsübersetzungen Ungenauigkeiten enthalten.

Berichte über die Lage von Zivilist·innen in der Provinz Pandschir                 

Zwischen Mai und Juli 2022 berichteten UN-Quellen und Menschenrechtsorganisationen von schwerwiegenden Vorwürfen bezüglich Menschenrechtsverletzungen, rechtswidrigen Tötungen und willkürlichen Verhaftungen von Zivilist·innen in der Provinz Pandschir durch die Taliban (UNAMA, Juli 2022, S. 16; AI, 16. Juni 2022; HRW, 10. Juni 2022; OHCHR, 26. Mai 2022, S. 3). Mehrere Quellen erwähnen, dass sich die Verifizierung der Berichte zu Menschenrechtsverletzungen im Kontext des Vorgehens der Taliban gegen die Widerstandsgruppe Nationale Widerstandsfront (NRF, National Resistance Front) unter anderem in der Provinz Pandschir nicht einfach gestalte: BBC News berichtete etwa im Mai 2022, dass es schwierig sei, die genauen Umstände von Ermordungen von Zivilist·innen in der Provinz Pandschir zu klären. BBC habe Fotos von Ermordeten erhalten, eine Anfrage der BBC, das Gebiet zu besuchen, sei von den Taliban aber abgelehnt worden (BBC News, 16. Mai 2022). In einem im Juni veröffentlichten Artikel erwähnt auch die Washington Post, dass die Taliban-Führung versuche, Nachrichten aus Pandschir einzudämmen, indem sie den Zugang zum Tal beschränken und als Reaktion auf Berichte über Kämpfe pauschale Dementis veröffentlichen würden (The Washington Post, 8. Juni 2022). Im Rahmen eines Berichts der Europäischen Asylagentur (EUAA) habe die stellvertretende Asien-Direktorin von Human Rights Watch (HRW), Patricia Gossman, am 12. Mai 2022 in einem Interview mitgeteilt, dass HRW eine wachsende Zahl von Berichten über Vergeltungstötungen und Angriffe auf Zivilist·innen in Gebieten, die mit Widerstandsgruppen (wie den NRF) assoziiert würden, erhalten habe. Die Tötungen und Angriffe auf Zivilist·innen seien Berichten zufolge eine Reaktion der Taliban auf Angriffe der NRF gewesen. Im Mai sei HRW nicht in der Lage gewesen, alle Berichte zu verifizieren, habe aber eine Reihe von Festnahmen von Zivilisten·innen bestätigen können, denen vorgeworfen worden sei, die NRF oder andere Widerstandsgruppen zu unterstützen (EUAA, August 2022, S. 146).

In einem Artikel vom 10. Juni 2022 hält HRW fest, dass die Sicherheitskräfte der Taliban in der nordafghanischen Provinz Pandschir Einwohner·innen, die beschuldigt worden seien, mit einer bewaffneten Oppositionsgruppe in Verbindung zu stehen, rechtswidrig festgenommen und gefoltert hätten. Seit Mitte Mai 2022 seien die Kämpfe in der Provinz eskaliert, nachdem die Kräfte der NRF Einheiten und Kontrollpunkte der Taliban angegriffen hätten. Die Taliban hätten Tausende Kämpfer in die Provinz entsandt, die bei Gemeinschaften, von denen sie behaupten, dass sie die NRF unterstützen würden, Durchsuchungsaktionen durchführen würden. Der Artikel zitiert Patricia Gossmann, der zu Folge, die Taliban-Kräfte in der Provinz Pandschir im Rahmen der Kämpfe gegen die oppositionelle NRF schnell auf Übergriffe auf Zivilist·innen zurückgegriffen hätten. Das langjährige Versäumnis der Taliban, die Verantwortlichen für schwere Übergriffe in den eigenen Reihen zu bestrafen, bringe weiterhin Zivilist·innen in Gefahr. HRW beruft sich in diesem Artikel auf Gespräche mit einem Menschenrechtsverteidiger, der mehrere ehemalige Gefangene interviewt habe, und eine Quelle mit direkten Informationen über Inhaftierungen durch die Taliban. Ehemalige Gefangene hätten Anfang Juni 2022 berichtet, dass Taliban-Sicherheitskräfte etwa 80 Bewohner·innen des Distrikts Khenj in Pandschir festgehalten und geschlagen hätten, um Informationen über die NRF zu erhalten. Nach einigen Tagen hätten die Taliban 70 Personen freigelassen, aber weiterhin 10 Personen, deren Angehörige sie beschuldigten, Mitglieder der Widerstandsgruppe zu sein, festgehalten. Dies stelle eine Form der Kollektivbestrafung dar. Ehemalige Gefangene hätten berichtet, dass im Distriktgefängnis fast 100 weitere Personen mit vermeintlichen Verbindungen zur NRF festgehalten würden. Keine dieser Personen habe Kontakt zu Familie oder Anwält·innen. Andere Personen würden in informellen Hafteinrichtungen festgehalten (HRW, 10. Juni 2022).

Amnesty Internationals (AI) Südasienzuständiger Zaman Sultani stellt am 16. Juni zu Berichten zum Vorgehen der Taliban in der Provinz Pandschir fest, dass die Ereignisse der Wochen zuvor kaum Zweifel daran lassen würden, dass die Taliban zunehmend außergerichtliche Hinrichtungen und willkürliche Verhaftungen vornehmen würden. Die schwerwiegenden Menschenrechtsverletzungen würden ein Klima der Angst und des Misstrauens in der Region schaffen, gegen das humanitäre Völkerrecht verstoßen und möglicherweise Kriegsverbrechen darstellen. AI sei sehr besorgt über Berichte, wonach willkürlich festgenommene Personen auch körperlicher Folter und Schlägen ausgesetzt seien, die in einigen Fällen sogar zum Tod geführt hätten (AI, 16. Juni 2022).

Laut ihrem im Juli 2022 veröffentlichten Bericht zur Menschenrechtslage in Afghanistan habe die UNAMA seit der Machtübernahme der Taliban im August 2021 18 außergerichtliche Tötungen, 54 Fälle von Folter und Misshandlung sowie 113 Fälle von willkürlicher Verhaftung und Inhaftierung und 23 Fälle von Isolationshaft dokumentiert, die sich gegen Personen gerichtet hätten, die der Zugehörigkeit zur NRF verdächtigt oder beschuldigt worden seien. Die meisten dieser Vorfälle hätten sich in den Provinzen Baghlan und Pandschir, wo die NRF am aktivsten sei, ereignet. In diesen Provinzen habe UNAMA auch Fälle von willkürlichen Verhaftungen großer Gruppen von Zivilist·innen durch Taliban-Behörden registriert, die mit dem Vorwurf der Unterstützung der NRF in Zusammenhang gestanden seien. So hätten die Taliban-Sicherheitskräfte beispielsweise am 31. Mai 2022 Berichten zufolge im Distrikt Khenj der Provinz Pandschir 22 Zivilist·innen festgenommen, denen vorgeworfen worden sei, die NRF zu unterstützen. Drei von ihnen seien laut Berichten freigelassen worden, nachdem Gemeinschaftsälteste vermittelt hätten, während die übrigen 19 ins Gefängnis von Dashtak und anschließend an einen unbekannten Ort gebracht worden seien. UNAMA nennt zudem das Beispiel eines am 12. März 2022 im Distrikt Anaba der Provinz Pandschir aufgrund des Vorwurfs von Verbindungen zur NRF verhafteten Ladenbesitzers, dessen Leiche später vor seinem Haus gefunden worden sei. Berichten zufolge sei er vor seinem Tod schwer gefoltert worden. Aufnahmen von seiner Hinrichtung seien in den sozialen Medien kursiert. Zwei Tage später hätten die Taliban-Behörden in Pandschir bekannt gegeben, dass sieben Angehörige des De-facto-Militärs im Zusammenhang mit dem Vorfall verhaftet worden seien (UNAMA, Juli 2022, S. 16).

Im bereits erwähnten EUAA-Bericht vom August 2022 wird zudem auf ein Interview mit einem Vertreter einer internationalen NGO in Kabul vom Juni 2022 verwiesen, wonach die Taliban in den tadschikisch dominierten Gebieten im Nordosten, insbesondere in den Provinzen Badachshan, Teilen von Baghlan (Andarab) und Parwan, Pandschir und Tachar, Zivilist·innen getötet und verhaftet hätten. Laut der interviewten Quelle würden die Taliban mit diesem Vorgehen versuchen, die lokale Bevölkerung einzuschüchtern, um zu verhindern, dass diese die NRF unterstütze (EUAA, August 2022, S. 148).

Auch afghanische und internationale Medien berichteten, teilweise unter Bezugnahme auf die Aussagen von Bewohner·innen der Provinz, im Mai 2022 (BBC News, 16. Mai 2022; Hasht-e Subh[1], 15. Mai 2022; Gandhara, 13. Mai 2022; Afghanistan International[2], 9. Mai 2022; Afghanistan International, 8. Mai 2022), im Juni 2022 (The Washington Post, 8. Juni 2022; Gandhara, 7. Juni 2022; TOLO News, 4. Juni 2022; Subhe Kabul, 2. Juni 2022) und August 2022 (BBC Monitoring, 23. August 2022; Aamaj, 23. August 2022; Hasht-e Subh, 19. August 2022; BBC Monitoring, 17. August 2022; Hasht-e Subh, 17. August 2022) von Übergriffen der Taliban auf Zivilist·innen im Rahmen der Kämpfe gegen die NRF in der Provinz Pandschir. In diesen Berichten finden rechtswidrige Verhaftungen bzw. Geiselnahmen (BBC Monitoring, 23. August 2022; Aamaj, 23. August 2022; TOLO News, 4. Juni 2022; Hasht-e Subh, 17. August 2022; BBC News, 16. Mai 2022; Afghanistan International, 9. Mai 2022), einschließlich der Verhaftung Jugendlicher (BBC Monitoring, 17. August 2022; Subhe Kabul, 2. Juni 2022), Folter (Gandhara, 7. Juni 2022; BBC News, 16. Mai 2022; Gandhara, 13. Mai 2022; Afghanistan International, 8. Mai 2022), einschließlich der vermeintlichen Misshandlung von Kindern (Hasht-e Subh, 19. August 2022), Tötungen (Hasht-e Subh, 17. August 2022; Gandhara, 7. Juni 2022; Hasht-e Subh, 15. Mai 2022; Gandhara, 13. Mai 2022; Afghanistan International, 8. Mai 2022), einschließlich der vermeintlichen Ermordung einer Frau (Afghanistan International, 9. Mai 2022) und eines unbewaffneten älteren Mannes (BBC News, 16. Mai 2022) Erwähnung. Afghanische Medien merken zudem an, dass die Taliban Bewohner·innen mancher Dörfer der Provinz gewaltsam vertrieben hätten (Aamaj, 23 August 2022; Hasht-e Subh, 15. Mai 2022). Gandhara, ein regionaler Dienst des US-Rundfunkveranstalters Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) berichtet im Mai 2022 von in sozialen Medien kursierenden Videos, die vermeintliche Kriegsverbrechen der Taliban in der Provinz Pandschir zeigen würden, die RFE/RL nicht unabhängig verifizieren habe können (Gandhara, 13. Mai 2022). Laut internationalen Medienberichten würden die Taliban die Übergriffe abstreiten (The Washington Post, 8. Juni 2022; Gandhara, 13. Mai 2022). BBC News schreibt im Mai 2022, dass die Taliban die Zusammenstöße mit der NRF in Pandschir herunterspielen würden, während die Behauptungen der NRF diesbezüglich häufig aufgebauscht („exaggerated“) wirken würden (BBC News, 16. Mai 2022).

Berichte über die Lage von Personen aus Pandschir in anderen Gebieten des Landes

Im Rahmen eines im Februar 2022 abgehaltenen COI-Webinars erklärte der landeskundige Journalist und Buchautor Emran Feroz Folgendes zur vermeintlichen Verfolgung von jungen Männern aus der Provinz Pandschir:

„Gibt es aktuell Hinweise auf eine kollektive Verfolgung von jungen Männern aus der Widerstandsprovinz Pandschschir?

Emran Feroz: Die Provinz Pandschschir wird hauptsächlich mit Ahmad Schah Massoud und dessen Sohn Ahmad Massoud in Verbindung gebracht und mit diesen nationalen Widerstandsgruppen, die sich unerfolgreich als Anti-Taliban-Trupp aufgespielt haben und dann eigentlich militärisch eine totale Niederlage erlebt haben. Die Nordallianz der 90er-Jahre - und das muss man aus militärischer Perspektive meiner Meinung nach einfach sehr ^­nüchtern betrachten - war aufgrund der Ereignisse, die damals stattgefunden haben, auch des Krieges gegen die Sowjets und des Bürgerkrieges um einiges kampferprobter. Also das waren raue kampferprobte Milizen, die deshalb auch Pandschschir erfolgreich gegen die Taliban verteidigen konnten. Unter Kommandanten Ahmad Schah Massoud, einem bekannten Militärstrategen und Kommandanten, der aus militärischer Sicht mit vielen Dingen in seinem Leben erfolgreich war, ist das gelungen. Jetzt, 20 Jahre später, ist es diesen Akteuren nicht gelungen, weil es schließlich die Taliban waren, die 20 Jahre gekämpft haben, während viele der Widerstandsgruppen sich auf die faule Haut gelegt haben und sich persönlich bereichert haben, fett geworden sind und nicht mehr fit waren. Das muss man wirklich so sagen, das hat man dort auch wirklich oft beobachten können. Wenn man mit solchen Leuten unterwegs war, hat man sich oft gefragt: ‚Okay, du bist jetzt in einem fetten gepanzerten Jeep unterwegs und fährst mit deinen Bodyguards von einem Restaurant zum nächsten, wie willst du denn irgendwann wirklich das Ganze verteidigen, wenn es in sich zusammenbricht?‘ Und so war es dann auch, die letzten Milizen, die in Pandschschir geblieben sind, wurden entwaffnet und meines Wissens auch getötet. Pandschschir wurde dann sehr schnell von den Taliban eingenommen. Hinsichtlich der Frage, inwiefern nun wirklich eine kollektive Bestrafung von Menschen aus Pandschschir stattfindet, ist zu sagen, dass viele Menschen aus dieser Provinz, die man auch erkennt, an der Art, wie sie Dari sprechen, sofort oder mehr oder weniger sofort mit diesen Strukturen der letzten 20 Jahre in Verbindung gebracht werden. Man muss auch bedenken, dass es damals 2001-2002, als Hamid Karzai zum Präsidenten ernannt wurde, vor allem Marschal Fahim, also der Nachfolger Massouds, war, der mit seinen Milizen Kabul eingenommen und die Taliban dort entmachtet und vertrieben hat, und dementsprechend dann auch ein großes Stück des Kuchens haben wollte. Und so kam es dann, dass der Geheimdienst, das Verteidigungsministerium und so weiter hauptsächlich von Menschen aus dieser Provinz, die in diesen Warlord-Strukturen etwas zu sagen hatten, besetzt wurde. Insofern denke ich schon, dass auch seitens der Taliban noch eine gewisse Abneigung da ist. Aber ob man wirklich von Kollektivbestrafung sprechen kann, da will ich mich jetzt nicht aus dem Fenster lehnen. Also Teile meiner Familie sind aus Pandschschir und die sagen, dass das alles nicht stimmen würde und dass da online einfach viele Fake News kursieren. Ich denke, dass man da deshalb immer ein bisschen aufpassen muss. Aber grundsätzlich kann ich mir schon vorstellen, dass aus der Sicht der Taliban-Sicherheitsoffiziellen solche Personen schnell mit dem vorherigen Regime und den vorherigen Strukturen in Zusammenhang gebracht werden und dann vielleicht auch rigoros gegen sie vorgegangen wird.“ (ACCORD, März 2022, S. 29-30)

Im Rahmen eines im Juni 2022 veröffentlichten Berichts interviewte das Danish Immigration Service (DIS) im März 2022 einen Vertreter einer in Afghanistan tätigen internationalen Organisation, demzufolge aus Pandschir stammende Tadschik·innen in Kabul zuletzt stärkerer Bedrohung ausgesetzt gewesen seien oder sich stärker bedroht gefühlt hätten. Der Quelle zufolge scheint die Beschlagnahmung von Waffen, die sich in den Häusern von Personen mit Verbindungen zur NRF befinden würden, im Fokus zu stehen (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 68-72; siehe auch Hasht-e Subh, 12. August 2022). Lynne O‘Donnell, eine australische Journalistin und Autorin, die zwischen 2009 und 2017 das Afghanistan-Büro von Agence France-Presse und der Associated Press leitete, habe im April 2022 gegenüber dem DIS erklärt, dass Personen aus der Provinz Pandschir ins Visier genommen würden, weil sie als Angehörige des „falschen“ Stammes und als potenzielle oder tatsächliche Mitglieder des Widerstands gegen die Taliban wahrgenommen würden (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 81-83).

                                                                                                               

Die afghanische Nachrichtenagentur Aamaj News berichtet im Juni 2022 von der Festnahme eines aus Pandschir stammenden Arztes, Ubaidullah Rahmani, sowie eines aus Pandschir stammenden Journalisten, Farhad Amiri, durch die Taliban in Kabul. Über den Aufenthaltsort bzw. die Situation der beiden Männer gebe es keine Informationen (IFJ, 16. Juni 2022; Aamaj News, 9. Juni 2022(a); Aamaj, 9. Juni 2022(b)). Farhad Amiri sei laut Verwandten während seiner Tätigkeit als Journalist von den Taliban-Sicherheitskräften gefangen genommen worden (Aamaj, 9. Juni 2022(b); siehe auch IFJ, 16. Juni 2022). Familienmitglieder von Ubaidullah Rahmani hätten angegeben, dass dieser aufgrund seiner Herkunft aus der Provinz Pandschir von den Taliban festgenommen worden sei. Er habe keine Verbindungen zu jeglichen politischen Lagern gehabt (Aamaj News, 9. Juni 2022(a)). Die Taliban hätten sich laut Aamaj News in beiden Fällen geweigert eine Stellungnahme abzugeben (Aamaj News, 9. Juni 2022(a); Aamaj, 9. Juni 2022(b)).

Hasht-e Subh erwähnt im Mai 2022, dass Personen, die aus der Provinz Pandschir oder anderen nördlichen Provinzen stammen würden, bei der Ein- und Ausreise an der afghanisch-iranischen Grenze herausgefiltert und zu den Gründen ihrer Reise befragt würden. Dem Artikel zufolge hätten die Taliban als Reaktion auf die steigenden Angriffe der NRF auf Taliban-Stützpunkte in der Provinz Pandschir zuletzt einfache Zivilist·innen aufgrund ihrer ethnischen Zugehörigkeit in unterschiedlichen Teilen des Landes schikaniert (Hasht-e Subh, 10. Mai 2022). Im Juli 2022 berichtete Hasht-e Subh unter Bezugnahme auf Aussagen von Bewohner·innen der Provinz Pandschir, dass Dutzende von Jugendlichen aus dieser Provinz, darunter ein lokaler Sänger, an der Grenze zwischen Afghanistan und dem Iran identifiziert und festgenommen worden seien (Hasht-e Subh, 24. Juli 2022).

Quellen: (Zugriff auf alle Quellen am [Veröffentlichungsdatum])

·      Aamaj News: Taliban arbitrarily arrested a Panjshiri physician in Kabul, 9. Juni 2022
https://aamajnews24.com/panjshiri-physician/

·      Aamaj News: Taliban arrested a Panjshiri journalist in Kabul, 9. Juni 2022
https://aamajnews24.com/journalist-kabul/

·      Aamaj News: Taliban arrested and forcibly displaced hundreds of civilians in Panjshir, 23. August 2022
https://aamajnews24.com/panjshir-56/

·      ACCORD – Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation: Afghanistan: Aktuelle Lage & Überblick über relevante Akteure; Situation gefährdeter Gruppen, März 2022 (Vortragende: Katja Mielke und Emran Feroz)
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2070441/2022-03_ACCORD_COI-Webinar_Afghanistan_Februar_2022.pdf

·      Afghanistan International: ادامه مقاومت در پنجشیر؛ طالبان مردم مناطق دره و آبشار را "شکنجه و لت و کوب می‌کنند" [Anhaltender Widerstand in Pandschir; die Taliban „foltern und schlagen“ die Menschen in den Bezirken Dara und Abshar], 8. Mai 2022
https://www.afintl.com/202205080419

·      Afghanistan International: منابع محلی: طالبان ۷ فرد ملکی را در پنجشیر "تیرباران کردند" [Lokale Quellen: Taliban „erschossen“ 7 Zivilisten in Pandschir], 9. Mai 2022
https://www.afintl.com/202205091711

·      AI – Amnesty International: Afghanistan: Taliban must immediately stop unlawful killings and arbitrary arrests in Panjshir, 16. Juni 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2074364.html

·      BBC Monitoring: Afghan media highlights 17 Aug 22, 17. August 2022 (verfügbar auf Factiva)

·      BBC Monitoring: Afghan media highlights 23 Aug 2022, 23. August 2022 (verfügbar auf Factiva)

·      BBC News: Afghan resistance attack Taliban, sparking reprisals in Panjshir, 16. Mai 2022
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61430836

DIS – Danish Immigration Service: Afghanistan; Taliban’s impact on the population, Juni 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2075256/afghanistan_fmm_rapport_200622.pdf

·      EUAA – European Union Agency for Asylum (ehemals: European Asylum Support Office, EASO): Afghanistan - Targeting of individuals, August 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2077428/2022_08_EUAA_COI_Report_Afghanistan_Targeting_of_individuals.pdf

·      Gandhara: New Reports Of Fighting In Afghanistan's Panjshir Trigger Fresh Claims Of Taliban War Crimes, 13. Mai 2022
https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-panjshir-taliban-atrocities/31848654.html

·      Gandhara: Taliban Accused Of Forced Evictions As Fighting Intensifies In Northern Afghanistan, 7. Juni 2022
https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/taliban-forced-evictions-northern-afghanistan/31887719.html

·      Hasht-e Subh: Deported Refugees in Islam Qala Border: Taliban Filters Refugees from Panjshir During the Investigation, 10. Mai 2022
https://8am.af/eng/deported-refugees-in-islam-qala-border-taliban-filters-refugees-from-panjshir-during-the-investigation/

·      Hasht-e Subh: Taliban Identifies Former Security Affiliates Using Biometric Devices Across Panjshir Routes, 15. Mai 2022
https://8am.af/eng/taliban-identifies-former-security-affiliates-using-biometric-devices-across-panjshir-routes/

·      Hasht-e Subh: Taliban Establishes Check Points Across Afghanistan-Iran Border to Identify Ex-Government NRF Affiliates, 24. Juli 2022
https://8am.af/eng/taliban-establishes-check-points-across-afghanistan-iran-border-to-identify-ex-government-nrf-affiliates/

·      Hasht-e Subh: Taliban Arrest Six Residents of Panjshir Province in House-to-House Search Operations in Kabul, 12. August 2022
https://8am.af/eng/taliban-arrest-six-residents-of-panjshir-province-in-house-to-house-search-operations-in-kabul/

·      Hasht-e Subh: Ground Realities of Panjshir and Districts, 17. August 2022
https://8am.af/eng/ground-realities-of-panjshir-and-districts/

·      Hasht-e Subh: Taliban Kidnap, Torture Five Children in Panjshir, 19. August 2022
https://8am.af/eng/taliban-kidnap-torture-five-children-in-panjshir/

·      HRW – Human Rights Watch: Afghanistan: Taliban Torture Civilians in Panjshir, 10. Juni 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2074498.html

·      IFJ – International Federation of Journalists: Afghanistan: Journalists missing and detained as attacks to media continue, 16. Juni 2022
https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/afghanistan-journalists-missing-and-detained-as-attacks-to-media-continue.html

·      OHCHR – UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: Statement by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights, Richard Bennett, following his visit to Afghanistan from May 15-26, 2022, 26. Mai 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2073770/26052022-Afghan-SR-visit_press-statement.docx

·      Radio Eins: Afghanistan International mit Hörfunkübertragung, 5. Juni 2022
https://www.radioeins.de/programm/sendungen/medienmagazin/radio_news/beitraege/2021/afghanistan-international.html

·      Subhe Kabul: طالبان ۱۰۰ نفر از باشندگان ولسوالی خنج پنجشیر را به اتهام همکاری با جبهه مقاومت ملی بازداشت کردند [Taliban verhaften 100 Einwohner des Bezirks Khanj in Pandschir wegen angeblicher Zusammenarbeit mit der Nationalen Widerstandsfront Taliban], 2. Juni 2022
https://subhekabul.com/%d8%ae%d8%a8%d8%b1%d9%87%d8%a7/panjshir-province-taliban-khinj-district-civilians/

·      The Washington Post: Inside the Taliban’s secret war in the Panjshir Valley, 8. Juni 2022
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/08/afghanistan-panjshir-valley-taliban-resistance/

·      TOLO News: Around 40 Residents of Panjshir Arrested: Local Officials, 4. Juni 2022
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-178322

·      UNAMA – UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan: Human rights in Afghanistan; 15 August 2021 – 15 June 2022, Juli 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2075723/unama_human_rights_in_afghanistan_report_-_june_2022_english.pdf

 

Anhang: Quellenbeschreibungen und Informationen aus ausgewählten Quellen

Aamaj News ist laut Selbstbeschreibung eine afghanische Nachrichtenagentur mit Sitz in Kabul und Zweigstellen in Istanbul und London.

·      Aamaj News: Taliban arbitrarily arrested a Panjshiri physician in Kabul, 9. Juni 2022
https://aamajnews24.com/panjshiri-physician/

„Relatives of Ubaidullah Rahmani, a physician in Muhammad Ali Jinnah hospital, told Aamaj News that Taliban arrested and then took him in an unknown whereabouts. According to them, Taliban arrested Ubaidullah because he is from Panjshir. They added that Ubaidullah was not in touch with any political party, and has been arrested on his way home in Dasht-e-Barchi area, yet his situation is uncertain. Taliban refuse to express their opinion on such cases. The arbitrary arrests while take place that Taliban have repeatedly detained people, in particular youths because they are from Panjshir province.” (Aamaj News, 9. Juni 2022(a))

·      Aamaj News: Taliban arrested a Panjshiri journalist in Kabul, 9. Juni 2022
https://aamajnews24.com/journalist-kabul/

„Relatives of Farhad Amiri, a journalist, told Aamaj News that Taliban arrested him in Kabul while he was doing his job. They said that they have no information about his situation, and the reason that he has been arrested. The news comes as relatives of Maiwand Wafa, a journalist and human rights activist, told Aamaj News that the intelligence forces of Taliban arrested him nine days ago, and there is no information available about his situation. Taliban refuse to comment on such issues. On the other hand, it has been four months that Khalid Qaderi, a journalist, is in Taliban’s custody. According to media observer institutions dozens of cases regarding beating and arresting of journalists have been recorded after Taliban’s domination. Though, the Taliban officials repeatedly have said they respect freedom of expression and media.” (Aamaj, 9. Juni 2022(b))

·      Aamaj News: Taliban arrested and forcibly displaced hundreds of civilians in Panjshir, 23. August 2022
https://aamajnews24.com/panjshir-56/

„Local sources in Panjshir said that the Taliban have started to arrest and forcibly displace hundreds of civilians in Panjshir as their eight fighters killed in this province. According to the sources, after the new general commander of Taliban in Panjshir and Andarab, hundreds of Taliban fighters entered Abdullah Khel district to arrest commander Malek one of NRF commanders. The sources added that when the Taliban failed to arrest the commander, they started to arrest civilians. Although the Taliban repeatedly deny the skirmish in Panjshir and Andarab, but their supreme leader has appointed a new general commander there.” (Aamaj, 23. August 2022)

Amnesty International (AI) ist eine internationale regierungsunabhängige Menschenrechtsorganisation mit Hauptsitz in London.

·      AI – Amnesty International: Afghanistan: Taliban must immediately stop unlawful killings and arbitrary arrests in Panjshir, 16. Juni 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2074364.html

„Responding to reports of use of torture, extrajudicial executions and arbitrary arrest of civilians by the Taliban in Panjshir province of Afghanistan, Zaman Sultani, Amnesty International’s South Asia Researcher, said:

‘Constantly, reports are coming of arbitrary arrests and unlawful killings of civilians by the Taliban in Panjshir. Events in the last couple of weeks leave little room for doubt that there is a growing pattern of extrajudicial executions and arbitrary arrests committed by the Taliban. These serious human rights violations create a climate of fear and distrust in the region and violate international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes. The Taliban must immediately release all the civilians who have been arbitrarily arrested by the various Taliban members and groups over accusations of being members of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) – an armed group.’

‘Amnesty International is gravely concerned about reports that those arbitrarily arrested are also facing physical torture and beatings that, in some cases, even resulted in death, as has been reported in the case of Abdul Munir Amini on 4 June.’” (AI, 16. Juni 2022)

BBC Monitoring ist eine Abteilung der British Broadcasting Corporation, die mithilfe von Open-Source-Informationen Massenmedien weltweit überwacht und darüber berichtet.

·      BBC Monitoring: Afghan media highlights 17 Aug 22, 17. August 2022 (verfügbar auf Factiva)

„In the northeastern Panjshir province, the Taliban have arrested around 50 youths from Abdullah Khel Valley and transferred them to an unknown location, private Amu TV website reported citing a local teacher. While, the Hasht-e Sobh, citing ‘reliable sources’, said that the Taliban have arrested 100 residents of Panjshir from Kabul, Nimruz and Panjshir provinces. It added that all the arrested people are civilians.” (BBC Monitoring, 17. August 2022)

·      BBC Monitoring: Afghan media highlights 23 Aug 2022, 23. August 2022 (verfügbar auf Factiva)

„Days after the Taliban's Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a message asking Taliban fighters to ‘treat the people of Panjshir [province] with caution and softness’, social media accounts started sharing a video clip and a picture showing Taliban members arresting civilians in the northern province and taking them somewhere else. The private Aamaj News posted a video clip purportedly showing Taliban fighters taking arrested Panjshir civilians to a secluded area.” (BBC Monitoring, 23. August 2022)

BBC News ist der Nachrichtensender der britischen öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalt British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

·      BBC News: Afghan resistance attack Taliban, sparking reprisals in Panjshir, 16. Mai 2022
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61430836

„The Taliban have been accused of human rights abuses during clashes with resistance forces in Panjshir province, to the north of Kabul. One local resident told the BBC his unarmed elderly relative had been shot by the group, who seized power in Afghanistan last August. Another saw a neighbour beaten by the Taliban until he fell unconscious. A local Taliban spokesman denied any abuses had taken place or that any of the group's members had been killed.

The fighting is localised and at this stage does not represent a challenge to the Taliban's control of the country, but it is the most significant sustained armed opposition the group has faced since coming to power. Panjshir was a bastion of anti-Taliban resistance during the group's first stint in power in the 1990s.

In recent days, fighters belonging to the National Resistance Front launched a guerrilla attack on Taliban forces in the area, who responded by sending a large number of reinforcements to Panjshir. […]

Speaking on condition of anonymity, local sources told the BBC the fighting erupted over a religious dispute. They said the Taliban attempted to arrest a Panjshiri cleric who had decreed the Muslim festival of Eid should actually be celebrated a day after the Taliban said it should. Taliban forces were ambushed and a number were allegedly killed - something Taliban officials have denied.

Details on casualty figures, and even the extent of the fighting, are difficult to ascertain. The Taliban appear to be downplaying the clashes, while claims by the NRF often seem exaggerated. Two local sources said that about 15 unarmed civilians had been killed by the Taliban in Panjshir so far. Clashes initially centred around the valley of Abdullah Khel, though local sources said the fighting there had now finished.

Residents described hundreds of villagers leaving their homes and heading to the mountains in fear of advancing Taliban fighters. One villager said his elderly male relative had stayed behind at home, but was ordered by Taliban members to point out the houses of resistance fighters. He and another man were then shot dead, the villager alleged. ‘He wasn't armed and didn't have any link with any group,’ he said.

It is difficult to verify the exact circumstances around the killings, but the BBC has seen photographs of the bodies of the men. A request by the BBC to visit the area was rejected by the Taliban.

Another resident of the area told the BBC that one of his relatives had panicked during a search operation by the Taliban and began running away from them. He was shot and killed. Footage shared on social media shows large numbers of men being detained by Taliban forces.

Residents told the BBC they believed hundreds had been arrested, while they alleged some local elders were temporarily detained in order to try to secure the surrender of resistance members. A local source in Abdullah Khel said the vast majority of men had now been released by the Taliban. One resident told the BBC his elderly neighbour's name was on a list drawn up by the group, accused of being in the resistance.

The source said when the man denied the allegation, or owning any weapons, he was ‘kicked, punched and beaten with the butt of a rifle until he fell unconscious’. A spokesman for the Taliban in Panjshir told the BBC no fighting had taken place in the province, though another local Taliban official had earlier told Afghan outlet Tolo News that six Taliban members had been killed in clashes. Sources in Helmand province in the south told the BBC the bodies of 15 fighters from there had been flown back from Panjshir.

Clashes and allegations of humans rights abuses have also been reported in other parts of Panjshir, as well as in Andarab, a nearby district in Baghlan province and Warsaj in northern Takhar province. All are dominated by members of the Tajik ethnic group, whereas the Taliban are Pashtun-dominated.” (BBC News, 16. Mai 2022)

Das Danish Immigration Service (DIS) ist die in Dänemark für Einwanderung, Einreise und Aufenthalt von Ausländer·innen zuständige Behörde des Ministeriums für Einwanderung und Integration.

DIS – Danish Immigration Service: Afghanistan: Taliban’s impact on the population, Juni 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2075256/afghanistan_fmm_rapport_200622.pdf

„Meeting with a representative of an international organisation in Afghanistan; Islamabad, 29 March 2022 […]

In Kabul, there have recently been a higher level – or perceived higher level of threat - towards Tajiks from Panjshir. The focus seems to be on confiscating weapons in homes linked to the NRF in the north.” (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 68-72)

„Minutes from Interview with Lynne O’Donnell; 1 April 2022

Lynne O’Donnell is a columnist at Foreign Policy and an Australian journalist and author. She was the Afghanistan bureau chief for Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press between 2009 and 2017.

 […] Panjshiris are being targeted because they are the ‘wrong’ tribe and a hot bed of potential or real resistance.” (DIS, Juni 2022, S. 81-83)

Die Asylagentur der Europäischen Union (European Union Agency for Asylum, EUAA) ist eine EU-Agentur, deren Aufgabe es ist, die Mitgliedstaaten bei der Umsetzung des als Gemeinsames Europäisches Asylsystem bekannten EU-Gesetzespakets zu Asyl, internationalem Schutz und Aufnahmebedingungen zu unterstützen.

·      EUAA – European Union Agency for Asylum (ehemals: European Asylum Support Office, EASO): Afghanistan - Targeting of individuals, August 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2077428/2022_08_EUAA_COI_Report_Afghanistan_Targeting_of_individuals.pdf

„In May 2022, Human Rights Watch received a growing number of reports of reprisal killings and attacks on civilians in areas associated with resistance groups (such as the NRF). The killings and attacks on civilians have reportedly been a Taliban response on NRF attacks. In May, Human Rights Watch had not been able to verify all the reports, but subsequently was able to confirm a number of detentions of civilians apparently accused of supporting the NRF or other resistance groups. [Gossman, P., Associate Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, digital interview, 12 May 2022]”(EUAA, August 2022, S. 146)

„According to a representative of an international NGO in Kabul, the Taliban have engaged in killings and arrests of civilians in Tajik-dominated areas in the northeast. The source specifically pointed to the provinces of Badakhshan, parts of Baghlan (Andarab) and Parwan, Panjsher and Takhar. The source believed that the purpose of the Taliban’s actions was to intimidate the local population so that they would not support the NRF. [Representative of an International NGO (b), digital interview, 1 June 2022]” (EUAA, August 2022, S. 148)

Gandhara ist ein regionaler Dienst des vom US-Kongress finanzierten Rundfunkveranstalters Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

·      Gandhara: New Reports Of Fighting In Afghanistan's Panjshir Trigger Fresh Claims Of Taliban War Crimes, 13. Mai 2022
https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-panjshir-taliban-atrocities/31848654.html

„Resistance to the Taliban is flaring up in northeastern Afghanistan, and as reports of deadly fighting increase, so are claims of war crimes against civilians.

The fighting is centered in the center and south of Panjshir Province, a traditional hotbed of ethnic Tajik resistance to the Pashtun-dominated Taliban and the last province to fall to the extremist group after it seized control of the rest of the country in August.

Residents of the southern Dara district's Abdullah Khel Valley told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi by telephone that an influx of Taliban fighters to counter growing unrest had led to extrajudicial killings, torture, and beatings. […]

‘As they [the Taliban] searched for the resistance, they encountered difficulties but took a number of young men hostage,’ said one resident of Abdullah Khel Valley, who declined to give his name out of fear of retribution from the Taliban.

‘There are dead bodies in every corner,’ said Mullah Mahad, 41, another resident of the valley. ‘But they [locals] don't have the right to bury their dead.’ […]

The reports of renewed fighting have been accompanied by multiple videos on social media of apparent war crimes being carried out by Taliban fighters. The videos, which RFE/RL was not able to independently verify, purportedly show Taliban fighters beating civilians and firing at civilian homes.

Other videos show alleged Taliban fighters shooting men one by one in a trench and allegedly executing a resistance fighter.

The reports of the mistreatment and killings of civilians led the European Union's envoy to Afghanistan, Andreas von Brandt, to express his concerns about the situation in Panjshir Province. ‘We mourn the innocent loss of life,’ von Brandt wrote on Twitter on May 10. ‘Once more, the situation underlines the need for overdue inclusive solutions in governing Afghanistan.’ […]

The resident of Abdullah Khel Valley who declined to give his name claimed that one man was thrown off a cliff by Taliban fighters because he had been photographed alongside a poster of the legendary commander. The source further claimed that the Taliban cut the ears off the man's 16-year-old companion.

The Taliban has denied accusations by the NRF that is has detained and killed civilians, and has even claimed that many civilians in Panjshir Province's Dara district have sided with the Taliban since their arrival. The extremist group recently distributed a video purportedly showing a gathering of Panjshir residents to discuss their security issues with the Taliban.

Ali Meysam Nazari, who heads foreign relations for the NRF, responded by denouncing the Taliban's claims as lies, saying civilians had only gathered for the video under threat.” (Gandhara, 13. Mai 2022)

·      Gandhara: Taliban Accused Of Forced Evictions As Fighting Intensifies In Northern Afghanistan, 7. Juni 2022
https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/taliban-forced-evictions-northern-afghanistan/31887719.html

„In the latest incident, the family of a 40-year-old farmer in Panjshir’s Bazarak district said he was arrested and tortured to death by the Taliban. The militant group admitted that Munir Ahmad had died in its custody on June 2. ‘This is not the first time that local people have been arrested, tortured, imprisoned, and even killed,’ a relative who did not want to be named told Radio Azadi.

Meanwhile, locals told Radio Azadi that the Taliban detained more than 100 civilians in the Paryan district of Panjshir in the past week. Their whereabouts are unknown. Earlier, the Taliban said it had detained an unspecified number of people accused of having links with the NRF. Locals have also alleged that Taliban fighters have recently beheaded several NRF fighters who were captured, a claim the Taliban has rejected.

The ongoing fighting has forced thousands of people to flee their homes in Panjshir. ‘It is a battlefield and war is raging,’ said a resident of Panjshir’s Dara district who did not want to be named for safety reasons, adding that many residents were on the run. ‘Some people were beaten and killed by the Taliban,’ he added. ‘People are fleeing with their families out of fear.’” (Gandhara, 7. Juni 2022)

Hasht-e Subh ist laut Selbstbeschreibung ein unabhängiges, nicht-gewinnorientiertes Nachrichtenportal in Afghanistan. Bitte berücksichtigen für nähere Informationen zu dieser Quelle auch Fußnote 2 dieser Anfragebeantwortung.

·      Hasht-e Subh: Deported Refugees in Islam Qala Border: Taliban Filters Refugees from Panjshir During the Investigation, 10. Mai 2022
https://8am.af/eng/deported-refugees-in-islam-qala-border-taliban-filters-refugees-from-panjshir-during-the-investigation/

„Local sources in Herat province have reported that the Taliban are filtering refugees from Panjshir and Northern provinces at Islam Qala crossing border during the investigation process.

A resident who has recently arrived in the country from Iran says the Taliban separates the lines of Panjshiri and Northern residents who intend to leave and return to the country and later they are being interrogated.

The source who is a Panjshiri resident said he was treated the same way, adding the Taliban were trying to find out why he was returning to the country. According to him, the Taliban are carefully checking all the details and asking the people why they left and now returned back to the country.

With the rise in attacks of the National Resistance Front forces on Taliban bases in Panjshir province, the Taliban have been harassing ordinary civilians on the bases of their ethnic affiliation for the past couple of weeks in different parts of the country. There have been reports that the Taliban have detained several village elders in Andarab and the center of Panjshir province on the based alleged accusation of supporting NRF.” (Hasht-e Subh, 10. Mai 2022)

·      Hasht-e Subh: Taliban Identifies Former Security Affiliates Using Biometric Devices Across Panjshir Routes, 15. Mai 2022
https://8am.af/eng/taliban-identifies-former-security-affiliates-using-biometric-devices-across-panjshir-routes/

„Over the past couple of days, clashes have escalated in Panjshir, Baghlan, and Takhar provinces between the Resistance Front and the Taliban in Panjshir. During the clashes, the Taliban have committed war crimes by killing innocent civilians and evicted forcibly many residents from these provinces.” (Hasht-e Subh, 15. Mai 2022)

·      Hasht-e Subh: Taliban Establishes Check Points Across Afghanistan-Iran Border to Identify Ex-Government NRF Affiliates, 24. Juli 2022
https://8am.af/eng/taliban-establishes-check-points-across-afghanistan-iran-border-to-identify-ex-government-nrf-affiliates/

„The residents of Panjshir also claim that dozens of youths of this province, including a local singer, have been identified and arrested on the border between Afghanistan and Iran.” (Hasht-e Subh, 24. Juli 2022)

·      Hasht-e Subh: Taliban Arrest Six Residents of Panjshir Province in House-to-House Search Operations in Kabul, 12. August 2022
https://8am.af/eng/taliban-arrest-six-residents-of-panjshir-province-in-house-to-house-search-operations-in-kabul/

„Sources add that the Taliban have arrested six residents of Dara Abdullahkhel and Pojawa of Dara district of Panjshir province during a house-to-house search operation in Kabul. Sources add that the detained people are civilians and do not have an affiliation with any group. The Taliban have not said anything about this news so far.” (Hasht-e Subh, 12. August 2022)

·      Hasht-e Subh: Ground Realities of Panjshir and Districts, 17. August 2022
https://8am.af/eng/ground-realities-of-panjshir-and-districts/

„However, local sources in Panjshir told Hasht-e Subh that Taliban fighters have taken more than 50 civilians as hostage in this province in revenge to their causalities. . According to them, the Taliban have informed local residents that these people will stay with them until the forces of the resistance front come down from their camps and surrender. Local sources also confirm that the Taliban rebels torture and beat the hostages. According to them, provincial elders and children are also among the prisoners that Taliban have taken them as hostage. Ahmadullah (pseudonym), one of the residents of Abdullah Khel valley, Dara district, Panjshir province, told Hasht-e Subh: ‘The Taliban have taken a number of children from Abdullah Khel. Those who were not involved in gun fighting, who did not fight, were captured from inside the houses and from the agriculture land areas, they are currently being tortured, may God bless and save them.’ Bibi Salima (pseudonym) is another resident of Abdullah Khel valley in Panjshir province, who chose a pseudonym because of her fear of the Taliban. Bibi Salima told Hasht-e Subh: ‘For three days there has been a war in Dara Abdullahkhel, the killing of ordinary people is going on. Unfortunately, 50 children, village elders, teenagers and women have been taken hostage. The people of Abdullahkhel are brutally tortured.’ This is despite the fact that two days ago, Taliban fighters shot dead a 16-year-old girl in Dara district of this province. Talking to Hasht-e Subh, local sources say that this girl’s name was Farhanaz and she was attacked by the Taliban while doing daily household activities. A source explains: ‘Despite the challenges, Farhanaz had participated and taken the university entrance exam and was dreaming of becoming a doctor, but a Taliban rebels’ bullet put an end to her life for ever.’” (Hasht-e Subh, 17. August 2022)

·      Hasht-e Subh: Taliban Kidnap, Torture Five Children in Panjshir, 19. August 2022
https://8am.af/eng/taliban-kidnap-torture-five-children-in-panjshir/

„Local sources report that five children have been tortured by the Taliban in Panjshir province. This incident happened on Thursday (August 18th) in Abdullah Khel valley, Dara district. These children were beaten up by the Taliban when they were taking their cattle to pasture. Sources state that due to the severity of the beating, one of these children’s collarbones was broken. The Taliban kept these children captive for about three hours. The Taliban has not said anything about the claims so far. The Taliban has arrested, tortured and imprisoned around 100 residents of Panjshir in the past few days on the charge of collaborating with National Resistance Front (NRF).” (Hasht-e Subh, 19. August 2022)

Human Rights Watch ist eine internationale Nichtregierungsorganisation mit Sitz in New York City, die sich für den weltweiten Schutz der Menschenrechte einsetzt.

·      HRW – Human Rights Watch: Afghanistan: Taliban Torture Civilians in Panjshir, 10. Juni 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2074498.html

„Taliban security forces in northern Afghanistan’s Panjshir province have unlawfully detained and tortured residents accused of association with an opposition armed group, Human Rights Watch said today.

Since mid-May 2022, fighting has escalated in the province as National Resistance Front (NRF) forces have attacked Taliban units and checkpoints. The Taliban have responded by deploying to the province thousands of fighters, who have carried out search operations targeting communities they allege are supporting the NRF. During search operations in other provinces, Taliban forces have committed summary executions and enforced disappearances of captured fighters and other detainees, which are war crimes.

‘Taliban forces in Panjshir province have quickly resorted to beating civilians in their response to fighting against the opposition National Resistance Front,’ said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. ‘The Taliban’s longstanding failure to punish those responsible for serious abuses in their ranks puts more civilians at risk.’

A human rights advocate who has interviewed several former detainees and a source with direct information about Taliban detentions spoke to Human Rights Watch about the Panjshir situation.

Former detainees in early June reported that Taliban security forces detained about 80 residents in Panjshir’s Khenj district and beat them to compel them to provide information about the NRF. After several days, the Taliban released 70, but have continued to hold 10 people whose relatives they accuse of being members of the group, a form of collective punishment.

Former detainees said the district jail held nearly 100 others who have alleged links to the NRF. None had access to their families or lawyers. Others have been held in informal detention facilities.

International humanitarian law, or the laws of war, which is applicable in Afghanistan’s armed conflicts, obligates all warring parties to treat everyone in their custody humanely. People taken into custody must be promptly charged with a criminal offense or released. The protections of international human rights law also apply. Denying detainees access to lawyers and family members is prohibited and increases the risk of torture and enforced disappearance. Collective punishment – the punishment of individuals for alleged actions of others – is a violation of the laws of war and a war crime.

Human rights groups and local and international media have reported that the whereabouts of some men taken into Taliban custody in Panjshir province have not been revealed, and that some with suspected links to the NRF have been killed. In some places the bodies of those killed have been displayed as an apparent warning to others.

The NRF, headed by Ahmad Massoud, is the principal armed opposition group in Panjshir and neighboring provinces. It includes some fighters who had served in the former Afghan National Security Forces.

Taliban troops in Panjshir are under the command of the Taliban’s defense minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, who stated on May 21 that the authorities would not allow anyone to ‘disrupt security’ in the province. The Defense Ministry and the General Directorate of Intelligence have overseen operations in Panjshir.

After the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, their forces, including military and intelligence officers, have carried out many summary killings and enforced disappearances. There is no indication that they have held forces responsible for abuses accountable.

‘Taliban forces in Panjshir have imposed collective punishment and disregarded protections to which detainees are entitled,’ Gossman said. ‘This is just the latest example of Taliban abuses during fighting in the region 10 months after the Taliban took power.’” (HRW, 10. Juni 2022)

Die International Federation of Journalists ist ein internationaler Dachverband nationaler gewerkschaftlicher Journalistenverbände.

·      IFJ – International Federation of Journalists: Afghanistan: Journalists missing and detained as attacks to media continue, 16. Juni 2022
https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/afghanistan-journalists-missing-and-detained-as-attacks-to-media-continue.html

„In a separate incident, Taliban officials arrested Panjshiri journalist Farhad Amiri while he was working in Kabul. Amiri’s family says that they have received no information regarding the reason for his arrest or his current place of detainment.” (IFJ, 16. Juni 2022)

Das Hohe Kommissariat der Vereinten Nationen für Menschenrechte (Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR) ist eine Abteilung des Sekretariats der Vereinten Nationen mit dem Auftrag, Menschenrechte zu fördern und zu schützen sowie Menschenrechtsverletzungen zu verhindern.

·      OHCHR – UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: Statement by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights, Richard Bennett, following his visit to Afghanistan from May 15-26, 2022, 26. Mai 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2073770/26052022-Afghan-SR-visit_press-statement.docx

„The expert expresses concern about information, received directly, of human rights violations and abuses against civilians in Panjshir, Baghlan, Badakhshan, and Takhar Provinces, which have recently seen clashes between the de facto security forces and fighters affiliated with the National Resistance Front. There are serious allegations, which require verification, that civilians have been exposed to violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, torture, and forced displacement. The Special Rapporteur urges the parties to this conflict to observe restraint and to fully respect international human rights law and applicable international humanitarian law. He calls on the authorities to permit human rights monitors access to these areas.“ (OHCHR, 26. Mai 2022, S. 3)

The Washington Post ist eine US-amerikanische Tageszeitung.

·      The Washington Post: Inside the Taliban’s secret war in the Panjshir Valley, 8. Juni 2022
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/08/afghanistan-panjshir-valley-taliban-resistance/

„The Washington Post secured a rare visit to the mountains and villages where the fight is playing out, getting a glimpse of a conflict that the Taliban has gone to great lengths to conceal.

Taliban officials flatly deny there is any violence in the area, even though thousands of the group’s forces are visible across the valley. ‘Everything here is fine,’ insisted Nasrullah Malikzada, the Taliban’s local information director in Panjshir. ‘There is no fighting at all.’

Yet residents say assaults on Taliban positions are a regular occurrence, and dozens of people have been killed, with some civilians imprisoned in sweeping arrests. Those residents spoke on the condition of anonymity or used only one name for fear of reprisals. […]

Taliban leaders have sought to contain news from Panjshir by limiting access to the valley and issuing sweeping denials when confronted with reports of fighting.

‘Of course no one knows what is happening here,’ a 62-year-old shopkeeper named Gulzar told The Post on the recent visit to the valley. ‘No one is allowed to come here; I don’t even know how you got here,’ he said, cautiously watching pickup trucks and armored vehicles packed with Taliban fighters race up and down the hillside.” (The Washington Post, 8. Juni 2022)

TOLO News ist ein afghanischer Nachrichtensender.

·      TOLO News: Around 40 Residents of Panjshir Arrested: Local Officials, 4. Juni 2022
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-178322

„Around 40 residents of Panjshir province have been arrested, provincial officials said, adding that an investigation is underway. A spokesman for the Panjshir governor, Abubakar Sediqqi, said that an investigation is underway and that the individuals will be released soon.

‘The reports that we have are that some individuals were arrested by the Islamic Emirate’s forces due to a misunderstanding…The council of Islamic scholars in Panjshir and provincial officials are attempting to investigate the issue and determine why these individuals were arrested,’ he said.

Several reports have been recently published which allege the arrest of residents of Panjshir. The video being circulated on social media also shows the detention of some people in the province. ‘They asked the people to distribute the aid of UN. When the people came to receive the aid, they were arrested and taken to prison,’ said a resident of Panjshir.

Meanwhile, military analysts said that the detention of civilians will have negative consequences. ‘If the Taliban do this and disturb the people and beat them and detain them because they are relatives to the people who are fighting (against them), this is not a wise act,’ said Aziz Stanikzai, a former military official.

‘The arbitrary detention of people and groups of people by the Islamic Emirate’s forces at the current situation has no logic but to spread fear and anxiety in the society,’ said Hekmatullah Meerzad, a university instructor. Earlier, there were reports of civilians being tortured but the Islamic Emirate denied it.” (TOLO News, 4. Juni 2022)

UNAMA ist die Unterstützungsmission der Vereinten Nationen in Afghanistan (UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA).

·      UNAMA – UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan: Human rights in Afghanistan; 15 August 2021 – 15 June 2022, Juli 2022
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2075723/unama_human_rights_in_afghanistan_report_-_june_2022_english.pdf

„UNAMA HRS has recorded human rights violations targeting individuals suspected or accused of affiliation with the NRF, including 18 extrajudicial killings, 54 instances of torture and ill-treatment and 113 instances of arbitrary arrest and detention and 23 cases of incommunicado detention. The majority of incidents have occurred in Baghlan and Panjshir provinces, where the NRF are known to be most active. […]

On 12 March, in Panjshir province, Anaba district, de facto authorities arrested a shopkeeper accusing him of affiliation with NRF. His dead body was found the following day in front of his house; he had reportedly been tortured severely prior to his death. Footage of his execution circulated widely on social media and two days after the indecent, de facto authorities in Panjshir announced that seven de facto military forces members had been arrested in connection with the incident. […]

UNAMA HRS has also recorded instances of arbitrary arrests of large groups of civilians by de facto authorities in Baghlan and Panjshir povinces, related to accusations of support for NRF. […]

On 31 May, in Panjshir province, Hes-e-Awal/Khenj district, de facto security forces reportedly arrested 22 civilians accused of supporting NRF. Three were reportedly released following mediation by community elders, while the remaining 19 were transferred to Dashtak prison and then to an unknown location.” (UNAMA, Juli 2022, S. 16)

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