The report provides an overview of the state structure, security institutions and state judiciary in Afghanistan. It is meant to be read in conjunction with other 2020 EASO COI reports on Afghanistan, which provide relevant information regarding topics such as customary law and informal dispute resolution, the main insurgent groups, targeted violence, security situation and armed conflict developments, and key socioeconomic indicators.
The purpose of this report is to provide relevant information for the assessment of international protection status determination, including refugee status and subsidiary protection, and in particular for use in EASO’s country guidance development on Afghanistan.
The report is divided into three parts. The first part focuses on presenting an overview of the state structure in Afghanistan, including governance, corruption, and the latest developments on the 2019 elections. The second part focuses on the state security institutions, their mandate and structure, integrity, and the main reported cases of violations perpetrated by these security forces. The third part of the report provides a general overview of the state judiciary, focusing on its capacity, integrity, effectiveness in prosecution, as well as prison conditions.
This report was drafted by the European Asylum Support Office COI Sector.
The Netherlands, Office for Country Information and Language Analysis, Ministry of Justice, contributed by reviewing this report.
The drafting of this report was finalised on 30 June 2020. Any event taking place after this date is not included in this report.
This report was written according to the EASO COI Report Methodology (2019).
Policy
The general security situation in Afghanistan is largely determined by a long-term, ongoing, internal armed conflict which has resulted in many Afghans being uprooted or seeking refuge in another country. In order to assess the need for international protection, the Commissioner General takes into account the fact that there are fundamental differences between the regions of Afghanistan when it comes to the security situation, the nature and intensity of the violence.