UN Demands Release of Detained Staff Members in Afghanistan

Kabul (GNP): Two Afghan employees of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan have been arrested by the country’s intelligence agency in the western province of Herat, the UN said, raising fresh concerns over the treatment of international personnel operating in the country. The two male staff members were detained on August 9 by officials of the de facto General Directorate of Intelligence, according to the UN mission.

The United Nations said it had not been granted access to the detained employees for two days and had not been informed of the reasons behind their detention. A spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General said the organisation had not been told of any charges against the men or permitted to see them, and called on Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to respect the privileges and immunities granted to UN personnel under international law. The authorities have not issued a response to the request.

The detentions come just days ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, which took place on August 15, 2021, following the withdrawal of international forces from the country.

Since then, the United Nations has maintained a substantial humanitarian presence in Afghanistan, with multiple agencies working across healthcare, food assistance, education and other humanitarian programmes. The organisation has repeatedly urged the authorities to ensure the safety and freedom of movement of humanitarian workers operating in the country.

The latest arrests follow growing international concern over the conduct of Afghanistan’s security and morality institutions. In a report published this week, the UN mission called on the authorities to clarify the rules governing the use of force, arrest and detention by security institutions, and to strengthen mechanisms of accountability.

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The Taliban authorities have governed the country for nearly five years under their interpretation of Islamic law, with their policies drawing sustained international criticism, particularly over restrictions imposed on women and girls, including barring Afghan women, among them UN employees, from entering United Nations premises.

The detention of the two staff members follows a series of earlier incidents involving aid workers in Herat province. In June, around 20 aid workers were detained near the Iranian border by the morality police over allegations related to beard length, with some of those detained working for organisations that partner with the United Nations; they were later released, according to an internal memo related to the UN.

In a separate incident the same month, dozens of women were detained by the morality police for allegedly failing to meet official dress requirements, among them a hospital worker employed by Médecins Sans Frontières, a detention the organisation publicly condemned.

The restrictions have also led to rare public protests, with the United Nations reporting that at least two people were killed when one such protest was violently dispersed. The latest developments come as Afghanistan faces a deepening humanitarian crisis, worsened by significant reductions in international aid and the return of millions of Afghans from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan in recent years.

The UN’s call for access to its detained personnel adds a further layer of concern over the operating environment for humanitarian organisations in the country, where aid agencies remain heavily dependent on cooperation with the de facto authorities to reach millions of vulnerable people.