Amnesty International, at the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, warned that the Taliban’s repression of women and violations of human rights have intensified, stressing the need for an independent international mechanism to investigate and hold the group accountable.

Mohammad Omar Mukhlis, a former Taliban commander in Paktia province and a member of the Haqqani Network, admitted during his farewell ceremony that the group had been tasked with killing all journalists. He said that many journalists managed to save their lives by fleeing the country.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says Taliban restrictions on women have placed Afghanistan among the countries with the highest maternal mortality rates.

On September 8, the world once again marked International Literacy Day; a day that reminds us of the fundamental right of every human being to read and write. But in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have banned girls’ education through their decrees, this day has become less a celebration and more a reminder of silence and repression.