Amnesty International has accused the Afghan government of failing to provide security for the country's civilians who, according to them, are subjected to intimidation, harassment, threats, shootings, and sometimes killings.
Human rights groups face serious threats to their lives, both from the Afghan authorities and from armed groups, the organization said, but they continue to speak out against injustice and defend the rights of others.
Human rights defenders and activists in Afghanistan have shown great courage despite the very difficult context in which they work, according to Omar Warayesh, deputy director for South Asia at the organization.
Local activists are largely ignored by the Afghan government and the international community as violence escalates and the Afghan authorities have failed to investigate crimes against them, Amnesty said in a new report.
Last year saw the highest number of civilian deaths recorded in Afghanistan, according to a UN report in February.
According to the report, 10,993 civilians were killed and injured in 2018, including 3804 dead and 7,189 injured.