On the 3rd of December 2020, the government of Afghanistan appointed a Joint Commission for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. As stated in the first Article of the Decree creating the Commission:

“The decree has been enacted based on article (6) and (7) of the Constitution of Afghanistan and the Afghanistan Human Rights Defenders Protection Strategy to strengthen human rights advocacy and address the national and international human rights concerns related to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan; the appointment of the “Joint Commission for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders” is intended to provide the necessary and effective ground for the necessary support of human rights related issues in Afghanistan and partial fulfilment of the commitments of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan within the framework of human rights standards.”

Since the Taliban took power in 2021, the situation of human rights defenders in Afghanistan has deteriorated rapidly. The Taliban and their allies intimidate, attack and kill defenders. We therefore now consider this decree to be repealed. (Updated on 08/11/2022)

Download the document here in English and visit a contextual article on the decree here in English (Amnesty International).