© 2024 Siddiqullah Alizai/AP Photo(New York) – The Taliban’s internet shutdowns are inflicting serious harm on people’s rights and livelihoods throughout Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch said today. “The Taliban’s moves to cut internet access harms the livelihoods of millions of Afghans and deprives them of their basic rights to education, health care, and access to information,” said Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch. Journalists in Afghanistan reported being unable to make local and international calls because the shutdown had affected both mobile and fiber-optic networks, including platforms like WhatsApp and Signal. The OHCHR and the UN Human Rights Council have urged governments to refrain from imposing such shutdowns. “The longer the Taliban internet shutdowns continue, the more harmful the consequences for both the people and the country.”