KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, says he remains committed to documenting human rights violations in Afghanistan despite being barred from entering the country.
In a statement on Wednesday, August 21, Mr. Bennett described the Taliban’s decision as a “step backward,” noting that it sends a troubling signal about their engagement with the UN and the international community on human rights.
Mr. Bennett said that throughout his tenure, he consistently sought to engage transparently with the Taliban on human rights, offering concrete and practical recommendations for improvement.
He urged the Taliban authorities to reverse their decision, reiterating his willingness and readiness to travel to Afghanistan.
The Taliban has barred Mr. Bennett from entering Afghanistan, accusing him of “spreading propaganda” and providing “inaccurate and misleading” information to the UN and international community.
The decision was publicly announced by the regime’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, during a recent interview with Deutsche Welle (DW).
“Mr. Bennett’s travel to Afghanistan has been prohibited because he was assigned to spread propaganda in Afghanistan,” Mujahid said. “He is not someone we trust. He is not in Afghanistan, and he is no longer permitted to come here. He took small issues and exaggerated them for propaganda,” he added.
In his statement following the Taliban’s announcement, Mr. Bennett emphasized that, as a UN-appointed independent expert, he takes his responsibilities very seriously.
“This includes always acting in an independent capacity, offering an impartial assessment of facts based on internationally recognised human rights standards and methodologies, and upholding the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity,” he said.
The UN special rapporteur reiterated his commitment to continue engaging with the people of Afghanistan, both within the country and abroad.
“I remain committed to the people of Afghanistan and to supporting a stable, inclusive and prosperous country at peace with itself and its neighbours,” Bennett said.
“I will also continue to document human rights violations and abuses and advocate for improvements,” he added.
Mr. Bennett was appointed to this role by the UN Human Rights Council in April 2022, in response to the worsening human rights situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.
Since then, in his reports and briefings to the council, he has highlighted widespread human rights violations by the Taliban, particularly against women and girls, urging the UN and international community to increase pressure on the regime to uphold human rights.
In his recent report presented to the council on June 18, Mr. Bennett characterized the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls as a “crime against humanity” and called on the international community to recognize the “gender apartheid” in Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s decision has also provoked widespread reactions and criticism from rights groups and activists, who argue that the regime seeks to suppress any examination of its treatment of the Afghan people.
The US-based rights watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) called the Taliban’s decision “shameful” but “unsurprising,” given their history of disregarding human rights.
“The Taliban’s travel ban on the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan is unsurprising given their utter disregard for human rights, but it should strengthen international resolve for documentation and accountability for abuses,” wrote Elaine Pearson, HRW’s Asia Director, on X.
