Supreme Taliban leader orders not to “punish” former Afghan officials

Supreme Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered his troops not to punish former Afghan government officials, according to comments posted on Twitter by a Taliban spokesperson on Thursday (December 30th). “Respect my amnesty and do not punish the employees of the previous regime for their crimes of the past”, he said Wednesday evening in Kandahar, a Taliban stronghold. Still according to the same source, Hibatullah Akhundzada was speaking to Afghan officials. He has not been seen in public, filmed or photographed in years.

The statements come after a video widely shared on social media, in which a former army officer is seen being beaten in a cell by two Taliban fighters. The Islamic emirate, the name given by the Taliban to their regime, announced that one of the soldiers would be punished.

When they came to power in mid-August, the Taliban had decreed a general amnesty and ensured that former soldiers or employees of the former Afghan government were not threatened. Despite these promises, the UN and NGOs Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have reported“credible allegations” (in English) on the summary execution or enforced disappearance of more than 100 former police and intelligence officers. On Tuesday, around thirty women demonstrated in Kabul for their rights, but also to ask the Taliban to stop their “criminal machine” and the assassinations of members of the old regime.

In his speech, Hibatullah Akhundzada also called on local authorities and tribal leaders to ensure that Afghans do not want to leave the country and that “their honor be protected” : “Afghans are not respected in other countries, so no Afghan should leave the country.” The service issuing passports was taken by storm during its rare opening times. Many are trying to escape the growing humanitarian crisis in the country, deprived of international aid since the Taliban came to power and the withdrawal of NATO troops.