June 8, 2023 - In a startling new report titled "Your Sons are in the Mountains," Amnesty International presents a compelling examination of the Taliban's gross human rights abuses and war crimes in Panjshir province of Afghanistan. The document provides firsthand accounts of mass arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings targeting civilians in a chilling campaign of collective punishment.

Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the residents of Panjshir have endured unlawful treatments and violations of international humanitarian law. The scale of atrocities committed is both wide and terrifying, extending to torture, executions, hostage-taking, burning of civilian homes, and arbitrary deprivation of liberty.

In the report, Amnesty International painstakingly details these incidents, gathered from encrypted interviews with survivors and other witnesses who had fled the province. The evidence is further corroborated by open-source information, including satellite imagery, videos, and photos.

The primary objective of this collective punishment appears to force submission and compliance from communities opposing the Taliban's rule. The gravity and systematic nature of these violations clearly constitute war crimes and demand urgent international attention.

Amnesty International urgently calls for an end to these horrific human rights violations. It also insists on the need for immediate investigation into these cases, in accordance with international human rights law and standards.

Crucially, it urges the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent international accountability mechanism for Afghanistan, ensuring that evidence of such crimes and violations are preserved for future international justice efforts.

The report "Your Sons are in the Mountains" underscores the urgent need for action in bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice and securing the safety and rights of Afghan citizens.

We encourage everyone to read and share this report available in English, Persian, and Pashto widely, raising awareness of the situation in Afghanistan and advocating for global action against these human rights abuses.