Afghanistan: UN expert calls on international community to prioritise human rights of Afghans in any ‘normalisation’

GENEVA (29 February 2024) – The deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan two and a half years on is causing unacceptable suffering, a UN expert said today. He called for urgent action by the Taliban and the international community to halt this downward spiral and give hope to Afghans.

“Women and girls are being erased from public life, peaceful dissent is not tolerated, violence and the threat of violence are used with impunity to control and instil fear in the population,” said Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan. “This is compounded by an economic and humanitarian crisis that results in the denial of economic, social and cultural rights.”

“There are public executions and use of corporal punishment by the Taliban, and credible reports of extrajudicial killings, disappearances and torture of opponents of the regime, who face discrimination and marginalisation, as do marginalised communities such as Hazaras,” he said.

In his report to the Human Rights Council, Bennett outlined the Taliban’s increasing violations of women’s and girls’ rights, including harsh enforcement of their dress code.

The expert found that the institutionalised, systematic and widespread nature of gender-based discrimination was unparalleled, rising to the level of gender persecution and justifying being characterised as “gender apartheid”. He will report further on this issue at the Human Rights Council session in June 2024.

“I am deeply concerned about the ban on education for women and girls beyond the sixth grade and the ban on work for women employed by NGOs and the United Nations,” the Special Rapporteur said. He also highlighted the dangerous human rights situation of children and the LGBTQI+ community in Afghanistan.

Bennett pointed to the arbitrary detention of activists and journalists for exercising their rights.

“The fear of arbitrary arrest and, in some cases, enforced disappearance by the Taliban has further restricted what remains of Afghanistan’s rapidly diminishing civic space,” he said.

“I share the concern of many Afghans that despite these worrying developments, parts of the international community appear to be moving towards ‘normalisation’ of relations with the de facto authorities,” the expert said.

“It is vital that the international community is steadfast that normalisation will require significant improvements in human rights, including the situation of women and girls,” the Special Rapporteur said. “To do otherwise would send a concerning message about their commitment to women everywhere”.

He urged the international community to stand together for the human rights of the people of Afghanistan. “For an Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbours, I reiterate my calls on the Taliban to improve their human rights record and building on small gains in the private and health sectors,” Bennett said. “Human rights are the cornerstone of sustainable, long-lasting peace.”

Mr. Richard Bennett is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan. He officially assumed duties on 1 May 2022. He has served in Afghanistan on several occasions in different capacities including as the Chief of the Human Rights Service with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity.

UN human rights country page: Afghanistan