The environment for civil society in Afghanistan is extremely constrained and is marked by the Taliban regime’s violent clampdown on civil society actors (CSAs) since their takeover in August 2021. Freedom of expression, assembly and association are now completely forbidden by Taliban policy, and human rights defenders (HRDs), women’s human rights defenders (WHRDs) and journalists are routinely harassed, unlawfully arrested and detained, and even tortured and killed. Since their takeover, the Taliban has forcefully built and implemented a system of gender apartheid that has severely restricted the rights of women, girls, and LGBTIQ persons, to the point of near total erasure from society.  

The situation has led CSAs and CSOs (broadly defined to include all those listed above) to self-censor, forcing many to operate from exile, work in secrecy, or halt their activities altogether. Although the de facto authorities have undermined all CSAs’ work, the impact on WHRDs has been more severe as they are targeted both for their work and their gender. The December 2022 ban on women working for NGOs is a clear example of this. 

The Taliban have also dismantled the legal framework that once protected and supported the work of CSAs, replacing it with the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Law (PVPV), which establishes the Taliban’s version of Sharia law (Islamic Law) and punishes any anti-Taliban values. The funding cuts from the European and US governments have further eroded the enabling environment for civil society. What little funding is available is hindered by the Taliban’s actions, which include the demanding of bribes from humanitarian workers to allow them to do their jobs. The Taliban are defensive and target civil society, actively working to close civic space. Political culture and public discourse on civil society are generally negative, often portraying international NGOs as spies for Western governments, and CSAs as anti-Taliban. Additionally, both CSAs and citizens are surveilled digitally and physically, and misinformation is widespread.