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It says other applications for political protests were denied, unsanctioned protests were forcefully dispersed, and demonstrators often detained. The report mentions continued reports of arbitrary arrest and detention, politically motivated imprisonment, and allegations of torture and abuse in police or military custody that resulted in at least four deaths.
It says impunity among officials remains a problem. Belarus The report says Belarus remains an authoritarian state where "power is concentrated in the presidency. Other human rights issues include the reported use of torture and unlawful detentions. The document says the judiciary suffers from inefficiency and political interference, and that trial outcomes are often predetermined.
Bosnia-Herzegovina The report says that in Bosnia-Herzegovina, "political leaders continued to intensify and manipulate deep-seated ethnic divisions that fostered widespread discrimination in most aspects of daily life. Harassment and intimidation of journalists and civil society were also present, the same as other human rights problems such as deaths from landmines; harsh conditions in prisons and detention centers; discrimination and violence against women and sexual and religious minorities; discrimination against persons with disabilities; trafficking in persons; and limits on employment rights.
It also points to reports of irregularities in last year's general election campaign, including the misuse of government institutional resources. The document says that prior to the election, the previous government frequently terminated or delayed probes into alleged rights abuses committed by officials. After the October vote, however, more than 25 high-level former government officials were indicted on torture, abuse of power, and corruption-related charges.
Iran The report says Iran continued its crackdown on civil society and repression of civil liberties. The report says national elections for the lower house of parliament fell short of international standards and stresses that Nazarbaev received 95 percent of the vote in the presidential election. It also mentions arbitrary arrests and detentions by authorities. The document says there were problems with arbitrary killings by law enforcement officials, a lack of judicial impartiality, the harassment of nongovernmental organizations, activists, and journalists, and pressure on independent media.
Other rights problems included mistreatment of detainees, delayed access to legal counsel by detainees and defendants, child prostitution, and mistreatment of patients in psychiatric hospitals. Moldova The report's authors list government corruption as the most serious human rights problem in Moldova. The report says that allegations of police torture and mistreatment of detainees were a second major area of concern.
The document says Moldova is a parliamentary democracy where powers are separated clearly, but notes that a prolonged political crisis undermined insitutional stability while corruption eroded the credbility of the police and judiciary. It says impunity among corrupt officials was "a major problem. It lists torture, arbitrary arrests, and unlawful detentions as regular practices in Transdniester.
Pakistan The report says extrajudicial and targeted killings, forced disappearances, and torture affected thousands of citizens in nearly all parts of Pakistan. Other human rights problems included poor prison conditions, arbitrary detention, and a lack of judicial independence in the lower courts. It says harassment of journalists, some censorship, and self-censorship continued, along with religious freedom violations and discrimination against religious minorities -- including some violations sanctioned by law. The document says rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, and discrimination against women remained serious problems.
It says abuses by government officials often went unpunished, fostering a culture of impunity, and criticizes the government, saying it made few attempts to combat widespread corruption.
Russia The State Department criticizes Russia for introducing measures last year that limit political pluralism and curtail the activities of nongovernmental organizations. Moreover, Afghan security forces and Afghan air force have also been involved in killing civilians in ground operations as well as in air strikes. Under the monarchy of Zahir Shah , human rights were respected and citizens were mostly free, [8] except in some cases where the King closed down media from dissidents that were considered threatening.
The communist Khalq republic that governed Afghanistan after the Saur Revolution in was brutal, vigorously suppressing opposition. The government abducted and executed thousands of prisoners, rural civilian dissidents, and committed crimes against civilians such as the infamous Kerala massacre. New leader Babrak Karmal promised to end the Khalq's brutality, which it partly did, but human rights abuses still continued. The government along with the Soviets during the Soviet—Afghan War intentionally targeted civilian settlements in rural areas.
Under President Mohammad Najibullah 's reforms, freedom of expression was further improved but human rights overall remained restricted. In the s, many atrocities were committed by various militias against civilians. Indiscriminate rocket attacks during the Battle of Kabul , especially those by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 's militia, killed thousands of civilians. The Taliban , in power from , imposed strong restrictions on women, performed public executions, and prevented international aid from entering the country for starving civilians.
The Bonn Agreement of established the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission AIHRC as a national human rights institution to protect and promote human rights and to investigate human rights abuses and war crimes. While the ongoing turmoil, violence and reconstruction efforts often make it difficult to get an accurate sense of what is going on, various reports from NGOs have accused various branches of the Afghan government of engaging in human rights violations. There have also been various human rights abuses by American soldiers on Afghan civilians, most notably in the Baghram prisons where innocent civilians endured torture, humiliating conditions, and inhumane treatment.
The United States was heavily criticized for lenient sentencing for the soldiers responsible. It found those held by police or intelligence services were subjected to beatings, removal of toenails and electric shocks. Several elections have been held in Afghanistan since The most recent election was held 18 September , for the National Assembly with a reported 2, candidates competing for seats. During the elections [16] the Taliban attacked many of those involved, killing 11 civilians and 3 Afghan National Policemen in over attacks on the polls.
Afghanistan has two dominant justice systems: Supreme Court, National Security Court dealing with terrorism related cases , first and second instance courts, "jirga" and "shura"-traditional institutions are operating. The National Directorate of Security NDS , Afghanistan's national security agency, has been accused of running its own prisons, torturing suspects, and harassing journalists. It has also been accused of deliberately killing civilians during its raids.
The security forces of local militias, which also have their own prisons, have been accused of torture and arbitrary killings. Warlords in the north have used property destruction, rape, and murder to discourage displaced Pashtuns from reclaiming their homes.
Child labor and human trafficking remain common outside Kabul. Civilians frequently have been killed in battles between warlord forces.
Here's what the numbers say". Article 34 of Afghanistan's constitution allows freedom of speech and press, though there are restrictions on media that may invoke Islamic law or be offensive to other sects. It also criticizes the alleged use of torture by police to obtain confessions and the continued lack of objective news reporting. Hungary's "Slave Law" Protests. But what the arrests demonstrate is that, professions of neutrality notwithstanding, intervening in any way in Afghan society is essentially political. The gap between the two remains wide.
Poor conditions in the overcrowded prisons have contributed to illness and death amongst prisoners; a prison rehabilitation program began in In the absence of an effective national judicial system, the right to judicial protection has been compromised as uneven local standards have prevailed in criminal trials. Fair trial principles are enshrined in the Afghan constitution and the criminal procedure but frequently violated for various reasons, including the lack of well-educated, professional staff especially defence lawyers , lack of material resources, corruption and unlawful interference by warlords and politicians.
Article 34 of Afghanistan's constitution allows freedom of speech and press, though there are restrictions on media that may invoke Islamic law or be offensive to other sects.
However, there have been and harassment and threats targeting journalists and legal experts, especially outside Kabul. Freedom of the press was guaranteed by interim President Hamid Karzai in February The arrest caused an outcry from journalists and it violated Article 34 which reads "Freedom of expression shall be inviolable".
Journalist in Afghanistan face threat from both the security forces and insurgents. Journalist are threatened, assaulted and killed by Afghan officials, warlords and insurgents to stop them from reporting. Furthermore, Human Right Watch report claim that many Afghan journalists self-censors by steering clear of reporting on sensitive issues.
While insurgents were responsible for rest of the attacks. No registration of religious groups is required; minority religious groups are able to practice freely but not to proselytize. Islam is the official religion; all law must be compatible with Islamic morality, and the President and Vice President must be Muslims. Apostasy remains officially punishable by death, per the Constitution of Afghanistan. In , Abdul Rahman , an Afghan Muslim who had been arrested for converting to Christianity, was granted presidential permission to leave the country, and moved to Italy, where he received asylum.
The Constitution promises equal rights for men and women, and women are permitted to work outside the home, to engage in political activity, and the Constitution requires each political party to nominate a certain number of female candidates. During the time of Taliban rule, women had virtually all their rights taken away. Matters ranging from wearing nail polish to job opportunities were severely restricted. By keeping women indoors, the Taliban claimed to be keeping them safe from harm.