A 48-hour nationwide telecommunications shutdown in Afghanistan last month resulted in preventable deaths, disrupted humanitarian operations and exacerbated restrictions on women and girls, according to a UN Human Rights Office report released Tuesday.
The shutdown, implemented by the de facto authorities between September 29 and October 1, 2025, cut off access to essential services across the country, UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told reporters at a biweekly press briefing in Geneva.
“From its health systems to the banking sector and everyday operations of small businesses, the people of Afghanistan are heavily reliant on telecommunications systems to access essential services,” Laurence said.
The report, based on more than 100 interviews conducted after the shutdown, documented delayed or blocked access to healthcare and emergency services, disruption of humanitarian operations, infringement on daily and family life, and disruption of business and banking operations.
Healthcare workers reported preventable deaths during the shutdown. A pregnant woman with severe bleeding who arrived at a hospital in Laghman province needed urgent transfer to the provincial hospital, but the hospital’s ambulance had broken down, and staff could not call for help. The baby died, and the woman survived with complications.
“As a health worker, I am trained to save lives, but without communication, I was feeling helpless,” a nurse said, according to the report.
The shutdown particularly impacted women and girls, who already face severe restrictions under the de facto authorities. Women must be accompanied by male guardians, or mahrams, for distances over 78 kilometres or when travelling in vehicles. In some areas, mahrams are required for shorter trips to shops, work or healthcare facilities.
One woman was unable to contact her father to serve as her mahram during the shutdown and was forced to walk home alone. “I was very scared when I was on my way home, but fortunately, I made it home safely after about one hour,” she said.
The shutdown also disrupted online education, which remains the only option for many Afghan women and girls after the de facto authorities banned female education beyond sixth grade. “I can simply say that those were very difficult days and nights for us during the shutdown,” one student said. “We were extremely terrified that we may be pulled to the Stone Age era of human history.”
Humanitarian workers said the shutdown delayed vital support to populations affected by an August 31 earthquake that hit Nangarhar, Laghman and Kunar provinces, as well as communities receiving people involuntarily returned from Pakistan.
“Shutdowns and other disproportionate restrictions on communications violate the rights to freedom of expression and access to information, and are contrary to Afghanistan’s human rights obligations,” Laurence stated.
The de facto authorities have not publicly commented on the reasons for the shutdown. Under international human rights law, any restrictions on freedom of expression and access to information must be provided by law and represent a necessary and proportionate response to a legitimate concern.
