Afghanistan’s hidden suffering under tightening Taliban rule

Since the collapse of the Afghanistan democratic government in August 2021, the land-locked nation has slowly drifted out of the global spotlight as the Taliban has again cemented its despotic rule across the territory.

This has led to a dire situation for the people of Afghanistan, with the Taliban enforcing laws that marginalise women and target other vulnerable ethnic groups.

Stephen Hill asked Naimatullah Ibrahami a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne how serious is the human rights situation in Afghanistan since US and NATO troops had left.

Image: Image Flickr: ResoluteSupportMedia – CC BY 2.0 Deed

Produced By: Stephen Hill

Featured In Story: Naimatullah Ibrahami – Senior Research Fellow for the Initiative for Peacebuilding at the University of Melbourne, and

First aired on The Wire, Thursday 21 August 2025