UN urges Taliban government to stop torture and protect rights of detainees

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said the accounts ‘are harrowing’ (Hadi Mizban/AP)

The United Nations said it has documented more than 1,600 cases of human rights violations committed by authorities in Afghanistan during the arrest and detention of people, and urged the Taliban government to stop torture and protect the rights of detainees.

Nearly 50% of the violations consisted of “torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said.