10 October 2025, GENEVA – New restrictions on internet access and social media channels in Afghanistan are a violation of the rights of Afghans, UN experts warned* today, a week after the Taliban lifted a nationwide telecommunications shutdown they had imposed earlier.
“These new restrictions, although more filtered than blanket at this stage, can be understood as part of a wider and deliberate strategy to control public discourse and regulate societal conduct. We call on the de facto authorities to immediately reinstate full access and refrain from further restrictions that violate civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.”
Since 7 October, the Taliban has restricted access to popular social media platforms. The move follows a two-day nationwide telecommunications shutdown from 29 September. Connectivity was largely restored on 1 October.
Shutdowns and restrictions on social media platforms severely restrict the rights to freedom of expression and access to information, cutting vital lines of communication. They not only further isolate Afghans from the global community, they disconnect them from family members abroad who provide critical support including through remittances.
“Internet and telecommunications shutdowns seriously impede other rights, including to work, health and education and, in a context like Afghanistan, would very likely further increase poverty, unemployment and food insecurity,” the experts warned.
“Cutting or otherwise limiting connectivity also seriously undermines commercial activity, impacting Afghanistan’s already fragile economy,” they added.
“Women and girls are disproportionately affected. Many are heavily dependent on online platforms for learning, online work and business opportunities, and virtual social spaces,” the experts said. “A deterioration in women and girls’ mental health is a likely further impact.”
In line with Afghanistan’s human rights obligations, the Taliban must ensure that any restrictions to the rights to freedom of expression and access to information are provided by law and are a necessary and proportionate response to a specific concern, the experts said.
They warned that restricting internet and telecommunications impedes critical humanitarian support for communities in need, including those affected by natural disasters or those forcibly returned from neighbouring countries. Human rights defenders and independent journalists, who are already facing intensifying Taliban repression, are even further restricted in their ability to document and report on the situation in the country, the experts said.
“Any efforts to silence Afghan voices not only hampers efforts to hold perpetrators accountable, they may enable human rights violations to continue unchecked,” they warned.
*The experts:
- Richard Bennett, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan
- Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression
- Claudia Flores (Chair), Ivana Krstić (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Haina Lu, and Laura Nyirinkindi, Working group on discrimination against women and girls
- Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences
Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.
Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/
UN Human Rights, country page – Afghanistan
For inquiries and media requests, please contact: Laura HAIGH (laura.haigh@un.org)
For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact Maya Derouaz (maya.derouaz@un.org) or Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org)
Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter: @UN_SPExperts.