KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, has warned that the international community must not normalize relations with the Taliban unless the regime demonstrates “measurable and verifiable progress on human rights.”
Bennett presented two reports on Afghanistan to the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday: “Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan” and “Study on the so-called Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.”
In both documents, Bennett outlined the Taliban’s widespread human rights abuses, particularly those targeting women and girls, and emphasized that these violations are becoming increasingly systematic and entrenched.
“The Taliban’s oppressive policies towards women and girls have no parallel in the world,” he said, adding that these policies could amount to crimes against humanity, particularly gender persecution.
Bennett described the Taliban’s morality law as “deeply discriminatory and regressive,” noting that it codifies and consolidates many of the regime’s oppressive and discriminatory policies, further entrenching its control over Afghan society. He emphasized that while women and girls bear the brunt of the law, no one is spared from its effects.
He also stated that the law grants muhtasibs (Taliban’s morality police) broad and arbitrary authority to detain and punish individuals without requiring evidence or due process, allowing them to act as law enforcement officers, judges, and prison wardens.
The UN expert criticized the international community for its failure to implement a “coordinated and robust” strategy to improve human rights in Afghanistan and hold the Taliban accountable.
“States are failing to uphold their obligations, including in relation to the women and peace and security agenda,” Bennett said. “The continued neglect of the Afghanistan human rights crisis is a failure that will reverberate through the lives of the country’s citizens, particularly women and girls, and across borders, with broader implications for global stability and gender equality,” he added.
Despite the Taliban’s persistent rights violations, Bennett stated that some countries appear to be moving towards normalizing relations with the regime. He urged world leaders to adopt a “principled, rights-based approach” in their engagement with the Taliban.
“Any steps towards normalization must be based on demonstrable, verifiable improvements in human rights,” he said, warning that the Taliban’s repressive actions encourage other authoritarian regimes to undermine human rights and women’s rights.
Bennett also raised concerns about the deteriorating state of civic space in Afghanistan. He noted that the Taliban have severely restricted media and civil society organizations, leaving journalists, activists, academics, writers, and artists vulnerable to arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment.
Additionally, he pointed out that minorities remain marginalized, facing systemic discrimination and a lack of protection under the Taliban’s rule.
On the worsening humanitarian and economic crisis, Bennett said the situation is the result of a combination of international restrictions, Taliban policies, natural disasters, and decades of conflict. He warned that these factors continue to severely impact Afghans’ rights to food, healthcare, and employment.
He called on the international community to increase humanitarian funding to close critical gaps in food security, healthcare, and social protection, emphasizing the need to prioritize gender-sensitive programs.
Taliban authorities have not yet responded to Bennett’s latest reports. However, they have previously rejected his findings, accusing him of “spreading propaganda” and providing “inaccurate and misleading” information. They have also barred him from entering Afghanistan.
