Human Rights Activist Union: The Taliban Want to Keep People in Darkness and Isolation by Cutting the Internet

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Human Rights Activist Union, in a statement, strongly condemned the Taliban’s action of cutting widespread internet services in Afghanistan and described it as a “direct attack on freedom of expression, access to information, and the fundamental right of people to connect with the outside world.”

The statement said that in the twenty-first century, the internet is a vital lifeline for education, work, trade, health services, and civil activities, and by shutting down this lifeline, the Taliban seek to “keep people in darkness and isolation and silence the voice of truth.”

The human rights body stressed that cutting the internet, especially for women and girls who could only continue their education through online learning, is “the last nail in the coffin of knowledge” and a clear sign of the Taliban’s misogyny.

The Human Rights Activist Union described the Taliban as a “terrorist group and systematic violator of human rights” and warned that depriving millions of people of internet access, paralyzing businesses, and silencing the media and civil institutions is “a blatant attempt to destroy any free thought and civic resistance.”

The statement further called on the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, the International Telecommunication Union, and organizations defending freedom of expression to hold the Taliban accountable as the perpetrators of this “digital repression” and to use diplomatic, political, and legal pressure to force them to immediately restore internet services.

The statement added: “The internet is a fundamental right of every citizen, not a privilege that can be granted or taken away by a terrorist group. The world must not allow the Taliban to turn Afghanistan into a silent prison by cutting off the internet.”