Taliban authorities in Afghanistan announced Monday that the country’s Human Rights Commission will be dissolved, calling it “unnecessary.”

The commission was backed by the US government and sought to ensure that human rights were protected in Afghanistan. Along with the Commission, four other departments were dissolved. The Taliban faces a $500 million budget deficit, and the dissolution of these agencies was deemed necessary to avert a financial disaster. In addition to the Human Rights Commission, key agencies such as the National Security Council and the High Council for National Reconciliation have been dissolved.

Since seizing control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have consistently been restricting human rights throughout the country, particularly for women and girls. Despite their early assurances that they would remain more moderate, the Taliban have forbidden women and girls to go to school or participate in education of any kind. They have also restricted women’s movement by creating a mandate requiring all women to wear a veil in public, in addition to being accompanied by a male relative.