Jurist UN expert expresses concern over worsening human rights situation in Afghanistan

[Dadparvar]

A UN expert on Thursday expressed concern over the escalating human rights crisis in Afghanistan, asserting that the Taliban is increasingly governing Afghan society through repression and fear.

UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan Richard Bennett stated:

As time goes on, more girls are being denied their right to education beyond the sixth grade. Other approaches to learning, such as madrasas, online platforms and other alternatives, cannot fill the gap. There is a heightened risk of child marriage, child labour, abuse and trafficking. Former government officials and security personnel continue to suffer retaliation.

Additionally, Bennett asserted that a humanitarian and economic crisis driven by international restrictions and Taliban policies and worsened by climate change and environmental degradation continues to severely impact Afghans’ rights to food, health, and work. In this context, Bennett praised the efforts of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to obtain arrest warrants for Taliban leaders, calling it a crucial step in holding perpetrators accountable for the suffering and injustice faced by the people of Afghanistan. He further underscored the remarkable resilience of Afghans, who he said remain steadfast in their quest for a better future.

Bennett concluded the report with several recommendations, including calling for the codification of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity. He also urged authorities to uphold human rights principles, such as non-refoulement, and refrain from discriminating against Afghans.

The special rapporteur also prepared a separate study on the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in accordance with paragraph 22 of UN Resolution 57/3. He stated that the law, which was published in August 2024, consolidates discriminatory policies that Taliban officials have imposed since 2021. Bennett further warned that the law will have “devastating impacts,” stating:

[The law confirms] that Afghanistan is now the epicentre of an institutionalized system of gender-based discrimination, oppression, and domination which amounts to crimes against humanity, including the crime of gender persecution. It shows how the group is incrementally, but no less systematically, cementing its control over the lives of the people of Afghanistan, forecasting that the already grave situation is likely to deteriorate still further.

Since seizing power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights, including a prohibition on post-primary education for girls and a ban on women singing or reciting poetry in public. A UN report last year found that the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s attire and its requirement that women have a male guardian are limiting Afghan women’s basic rights, such as the freedom of movement and access to education, employment, and healthcare.

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