Afghanistan


This country page describes, in brief, data that TJET has compiled on regime transitions, intrastate conflict episodes, and transitional justice mechanisms. For details on the data included on this page, view the FAQ.

For Afghanistan, TJET has collected information on: 21 amnesties between 1978 and 2018; 16 domestic trials starting between 1984 and 2020; seven foreign trials starting between 2003 and 2019; and two vetting policies starting between 2001 and 2004.

Select any transitional justice mechanism in the table below to view a timeline in the figure.


Country Background

Democratic Transition

TJET records no democratic transitions in Afghanistan between 1970 and 2020.

The Afghan constitution, first put forward in 1964, outlines a unitary state headed by a directly elected president, a system of parliamentary checks and balances, as well as a variety of rights and civil liberties guaranteed to citizens. However, from 1996-2001, and again from 2021, the Taliban has ruled as a conservative, theocratic government.

Violent Conflict

Based on the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, TJET records 22 violent intrastate conflict episodes between 1978 and 2020, involving 16 distinct armed opposition groups fighting against the government. 16 conflict episodes were internationalized by involvement of external state actors.

Afghanistan has a long history of intrastate conflict, with Muslim groups fighting each other for control of the country since the 1970s. The most recent intrastate armed conflict over government control is between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban. This particular conflict has increased in violence since 2013 and was the bloodiest conflict in the world between 2018 and 2021. Ongoing conflict with the Islamic State (IS), which claims the Khorasan province as a part of its territory, has added to the violence and reinforced the Taliban insurgency.

In February 2020, after 18 months of negotiations, the Taliban and the U.S. signed an agreement that ensured the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and initiated intra-Afghan talks. The withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan in 2021 led to the fall of the government in August 2021 and the Taliban takeover. The Taliban has engaged in brutal crackdowns on the civilian population and human rights abuses, including increasing restrictions on women’s rights and freedom of the media.

Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions. Source: UCDP Dyadic Dataset version 23.1, https://ucdp.uu.se/downloads/index.html#dyadic.


Transitional Justice Data

As of 2020, Afghanistan ranks 10th out of 174 on TJET’s legacy of violence index. For a full list of country rankings over time, view the index page, and for an explanation of the index, view the Methods & FAQs page.


Amnesties

Afghanistan had 21 amnesties between 1978 and 2018. 13 were passed during ongoing internal armed conflict. Two were passed after internal armed conflict. Nine amnesties released political prisoners. Five amnesties forgave human rights violations.

Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.


Domestic Trials

TJET has compiled data on 16 domestic prosecutions between 1984 and 2020. These include five regular human rights prosecutions of state agents, in which three persons were convicted; six intrastate conflict prosecutions of state agents, in which nine persons were convicted; and five intrastate conflict prosecutions of opposition members, in which four persons were convicted. In three trials that involved high-ranking state agents, three persons were convicted.

Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.


Foreign Trials

Nationals of Afghanistan were defendants in seven foreign prosecutions in Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom beginning between 2003 and 2019.

Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.


Vetting Policies

Afghanistan had two vetting policies, starting in 2001; one of these ended by 2019. These policies provided sanctions based on past individual conduct.

Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.


UN Investigations

Afghanistan was subject to three UN investigations between 1998 and 2006. One investigation aimed to encourage domestic prosecutions.

Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.


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