Legal basis
Every category AHRC documents is anchored to a specific legal standard: Afghanistan’s Republic-era domestic law — the normative baseline of protected rights, suspended since 15 August 2021 but not repealed — together with the international treaties Afghanistan has ratified. This is the dual framework the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) applied, and which AHRC continues.
International instruments Afghanistan has ratified
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) — 1983
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) — 1983
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) — 2003
- Convention against Torture (CAT) — 1987
- Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) — 1994
- Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) — 1983
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) — 2012
- Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) — 2003
- Geneva Conventions, international humanitarian law — 1956
Afghan Republic-era law (the normative baseline)
- Constitution of Afghanistan — 2004
- Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) — 2009
- Penal Code — 2017
- Law on the Prohibition of Torture — 2018
- Law on Protection of Child Rights — 2019
- Labour Law — 2007
- Education Law — 2008
These domestic laws are suspended and not enforced since 15 August 2021. AHRC measures present-day acts against them as the baseline of legally protected rights — not as currently-applied law.
What we classify, and its legal basis
AHRC sorts each incident into one of these categories. Each is tied to the domestic statute and the ratified treaty that protect the right in question, so an assignment can be checked against the law rather than taken on trust.
| Category | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Armed conflict Military operations, battles, airstrikes, IED attacks. |
Domestic: Penal Code Arts. 337–340 (war crimes). International: Rome Statute Art. 8; CRC-OP-AC (child soldiers); IHL — Geneva Conventions (1949) & Additional Protocols. |
| Civilian casualties Civilian deaths or injuries from any cause. |
Domestic: Constitution Art. 23 (right to life); Penal Code Art. 335 (crimes against humanity). International: Genocide Convention (1956); Rome Statute Arts. 7–8 (ICC); IHL principle of distinction (AP I Arts. 48, 51, 57). |
| Arbitrary detention Unlawful arrests, detention without charges. |
Domestic: Constitution Art. 27; Penal Code Arts. 585–589. International: ICCPR Art. 9; UDHR Art. 9. |
| Forced displacement Forced migration, evictions, deportations, refugee movements. |
Domestic: Constitution Art. 39; Penal Code Art. 335 (deportation/forcible transfer as a crime against humanity). International: 1951 Refugee Convention (Arts. 1, 33) & 1967 Protocol; ICCPR Art. 12. |
| Gender-based violence Violence targeting women/girls — sexual violence, forced/child marriage, baad, honor killings, and the other acts enumerated in the EVAW Law. |
Domestic: EVAW Law (2009) Art. 5 — 22 enumerated acts; Penal Code Art. 636. International: CEDAW (ratified 2003) & Gen. Recs. 19/35; CRC-OP-SC. |
| Freedom of expression Media suppression, journalist arrests, censorship, protest crackdowns. |
Domestic: Constitution Arts. 34, 35 & 36. International: ICCPR Arts. 19, 21 & 22; UDHR Art. 19. |
| Extrajudicial execution Killings without due process. |
Domestic: Constitution Art. 23; Penal Code Arts. 546–547 (murder); Art. 335 (as a crime against humanity). International: ICCPR Art. 6 (arbitrary deprivation of life); UDHR Art. 3. |
| Enforced disappearance Arrest/abduction followed by refusal to acknowledge the fate or whereabouts. |
Domestic: Penal Code Art. 332(8) (definition) — prosecutable only as a crime against humanity under Art. 335(9). International: ICCPR Arts. 6, 7 & 9 (Afghanistan is NOT a party to the ICPPED/CED). |
| Torture Physical/psychological torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in custody. |
Domestic: Constitution Art. 29; Penal Code Arts. 450–452; Law on Prohibition of Torture (2017). International: CAT (ratified 1987) & CAT-OP (2018); ICCPR Art. 7; UDHR Art. 5. |
| Property destruction Deliberate destruction or unlawful confiscation of homes, infrastructure, cultural sites. |
Domestic: Constitution Art. 40 (property immune from invasion). International: ICESCR Art. 11 (adequate housing); IHL — Geneva Convention IV Art. 53. |
| Education restriction School/university closures, bans on education (especially for girls and women). |
Domestic: Constitution Arts. 43–44; Education Law (2008) Art. 4(2); EVAW Art. 5(19). International: ICESCR Arts. 13–14; CEDAW Art. 10; CRC Art. 28. |
| Healthcare restriction Attacks on hospitals, denial of or bans on healthcare access. |
Domestic: Constitution Art. 52; EVAW Art. 5(19). International: ICESCR Art. 12; CRC Art. 24. |
| Children's rights Violations of child rights — child labor, child marriage, bacha bazi, recruitment/use of children, and denial of child protection or juvenile-justice guarantees. |
Domestic: Law on Protection of Child Rights (2019); Constitution Arts. 49 & 54. International: CRC (ratified 1994); CRC-OP-AC (OPAC); CRC-OP-SC (OPSC). |
| Human trafficking / forced labor Recruiting, harboring or transporting people for exploitation — sexual exploitation, forced labor, begging, or organ removal; bonded or coerced labor. |
Domestic: Penal Code Art. 510; Law to Combat Trafficking in Persons (2017) & Anti-Trafficking Law (2008); Labour Law Art. 4. International: CRC-OP-SC (OPSC); ICCPR Art. 8 (prohibition of slavery/forced labor). |
| Labor rights Denial of labor rights — compulsory/forced work, hazardous or unsafe conditions, denial of the right to work or to freely associate/organize. |
Domestic: Constitution Arts. 48–49; Labour Law (No. 35 of 2007, Official Gazette No. 914) Arts. 4, 13 & 147 (right to organise). International: ICESCR Arts. 6–8. |
| Violation of human dignity Acts degrading human dignity or personal integrity not captured elsewhere — public humiliation, degrading treatment or punishment. |
Domestic: Constitution Art. 24 (liberty & human dignity inviolable); Penal Code Arts. 452 & 636. International: UDHR Art. 1; ICCPR Arts. 7 & 10. |
| Discrimination Discrimination or persecution on ethnic, religious, or gender grounds; denial of equality before the law. |
Domestic: Constitution Arts. 2 & 22 (equality before the law; men and women equal). International: ICERD (acceded 1983); CEDAW; ICCPR Art. 26. |
| Disability rights Denial of the rights of persons with disabilities — accessibility, inclusive education, and support for vulnerable persons. |
Domestic: Constitution Art. 53 (assistance to the disabled and vulnerable). International: CRPD (ratified 2012). |
How grades work
A verified-or-not badge cannot separate an event three outlets witnessed from one a channel mentioned. Every entry carries a grade, and the grade is part of the citation.
Only entries a researcher has reviewed and accepted appear on this site. The levels above describe how we grade what we hold, not how much of it is public.
A grade can change. If further sourcing arrives, an entry moves up; if sourcing collapses on review, it is set aside and kept, so the exclusion stays auditable. Quote your retrieval date when you cite.
Standard of proof & how we count
AHRC applies the standard used by UN human-rights fact-finding: an entry is marked Verified when there are reasonable grounds to believe the incident occurred as described — a reasonable and ordinarily prudent person would be justified in the belief on the information gathered. It is a documentation standard, deliberately below criminal-proof thresholds, and every entry keeps its grade visible so readers can see how much sourcing sits behind it.
Most entries begin from a single published source. A single-source entry is labelled as such and stays “under review” until corroborated or confirmed by a reviewer; syndicated copies of the same report do not count as independent corroboration.
Counting is conservative. Figures are minimums — “at least” — never estimates; we do not extrapolate. A weekly or monthly figure counts entries whose incident date falls within that calendar window (inclusive), computed from the record as of the stated retrieval date; because review is continuous, a figure can change after publication, and when it does the change is acknowledged in the corrections log.
Violation taxonomy
Each code names the treaty provision the conduct engages, so an assignment can be checked rather than trusted.
Suppression of peaceful protest
ICCPR Art. 21; UDHR Art. 20
Violent dispersal, arrest, or banning of peaceful demonstrations.
Recruitment / use of children
CRC-OPAC; Rome Statute
Recruitment or use of children by armed forces or armed groups.
Violence against children
CRC Art. 19, 6
Killing, maiming, or abuse of children.
Arbitrary arrest / detention
ICCPR Art. 9; UDHR Art. 9
Detention without legal basis, warrant, or due process.
Enforced disappearance
ICPPED; ICCPR Art. 9
Detention followed by refusal to acknowledge fate or whereabouts of the person.
Hostage-taking / abduction
ICCPR Art. 9; IHL
Abduction or hostage-taking by armed actors.
Forced displacement / eviction
ICCPR Art. 12; ICESCR Art. 11
Forced eviction, home demolition, or displacement of communities.
Collective expulsion / forced return
ICCPR Art. 13; Refugee Convention Art. 33
Mass expulsion or refoulement of refugees / returnees.
Denial of humanitarian access / food
ICESCR Art. 11, 12
Blocking aid, or deprivation of food, water, or health care to a population.
Suppression of press / journalists
ICCPR Art. 19; UDHR Art. 19
Detention, assault, censorship, or intimidation of journalists and media.
Censorship / restriction of speech
ICCPR Art. 19
Banning of media, internet/communication shutdowns, or speech restrictions.
Denial of fair trial / due process
ICCPR Art. 14; UDHR Art. 10
Conviction or punishment without a fair, public hearing by a competent tribunal.
Extrajudicial / summary killing
ICCPR Art. 6; UDHR Art. 3
Unlawful killing by state or de-facto authorities outside any judicial process.
Killing of civilians in attack
ICCPR Art. 6; IHL
Civilian deaths from bombings, raids, or armed attacks, including IED and airstrikes.
Targeted assassination
ICCPR Art. 6
Deliberate killing of a specific individual (journalist, activist, official, cleric).
Ethnic / minority persecution
ICCPR Art. 26, 27; CERD
Targeting of an ethnic or minority community (e.g. Hazara, Shia) for attack or discrimination.
Other credible human-rights violation
UDHR
A credible human-rights violation that does not fit the categories above.
Religious persecution
ICCPR Art. 18; UDHR Art. 18
Persecution, attacks, or restrictions targeting a religious or belief group.
Sexual violence / rape
ICCPR Art. 7; CEDAW; Rome Statute
Rape, sexual assault, or sexual exploitation, including in detention.
Forced / child marriage
CEDAW Art. 16; CRC
Coerced marriage, including marriage of minors.
Torture
CAT Art. 1; ICCPR Art. 7; UDHR Art. 5
Infliction of severe pain or suffering to punish, intimidate, or extract information.
Cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
ICCPR Art. 7
Ill-treatment falling short of torture, including beatings and degrading conditions.
Corporal / inhuman punishment
ICCPR Art. 7; CAT
Public lashing, amputation, stoning, or other corporal punishment.
Denial of women's right to work
CEDAW; ICESCR Art. 6
Bans or restrictions on women's employment and public-sector participation.
Denial of girls' education
CEDAW Art. 10; ICESCR Art. 13; CRC Art. 28
Banning or barring girls and women from secondary, higher, or any education.
Restriction of freedom of movement (women)
CEDAW; ICCPR Art. 12
Mahram requirements, travel bans, and dress-code enforcement against women.
Gender-based persecution
Rome Statute Art. 7(1)(h); CEDAW
Systematic persecution or punishment of a person on the basis of gender.
From collection to publication
Collection and classification are automated. Every entry shows its state openly: it is marked “under review — not yet verified by AHRC” until a human reviewer confirms it and its sourcing, and only then is it marked “Verified by AHRC.”
The automated steps use large language models (Anthropic Claude) for relevance screening and first-pass classification, with harder cases escalated to a stronger model. Every entry records which model classified it and under which prompt version, model confidence is shown rather than hidden, a fixed evaluation set and outside-the-loop audit samples watch for drift, and no entry becomes “Verified by AHRC” without a named human reviewer confirming it.
What we withhold
Names are withheld. Exact locations are withheld. Contributor identities are never stored alongside an entry. Where a source cannot be published, the row still appears, marked not public, so the count of sources behind an entry is never inflated or hidden.
Protection policy →What this record cannot tell you
The record is what reached us and passed review. Thin coverage in a province reflects reporting conditions and access as much as the underlying situation. Absence of entries is not evidence of absence of violations, and no figure on this site should be read as a national total.
Corrections
When a published figure or entry changes materially — a re-grade, a merged duplicate, a revised count — the change is acknowledged in a public corrections log rather than silently overwritten. Honesty about revisions is part of the record.
View the corrections log →