Richard Bennett, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for the United Nations (UN), is not allowed to enter Afghanistan by the Taliban.Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, allegedly charged that the UN human rights body was disseminating “propaganda” in interviews with Afghan media.
Bennett, he said, would not be permitted to enter the nation.
“Because Mr. Bennett was tasked with disseminating misinformation in Afghanistan, his travel there has been forbidden. We don’t trust him at all. He is no longer allowed to come here, and he is not in Afghanistan. He liked to promote and magnify small matters,” he stated.
The Taliban’s spokesman restated their position, saying they would not yield to outside pressure and that they respect women’s rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law and regional customs.
The Taliban’s spokesman restated their position, saying they would not yield to outside pressure and that they respect women’s rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law and regional customs.
Bennett was unable to secure a visa for Afghanistan, according to Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who told Reuters.
He went on to say that despite constant reminders to uphold professional standards at work, Bennett routinely generated biased reports about Afghanistan and its people.
Requests for comment on the issue were not immediately answered by the UN Human Rights Council, and attempts to get in touch with Bennett were fruitless.
In 2022, the UN Human Rights Council assigned Richard Bennett to oversee the state of human rights in Afghanistan.
Bennett has visited Afghanistan on several occasions for investigations even though he is not permanently stationed there. He has regularly denounced as crimes against humanity the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls.
Since the Taliban retook control in 2021, their government has not been formally recognized by any nation. The Taliban’s treatment of women has been connected by the US and a number of other Western countries to their recognition.
In Afghanistan, girls beyond the age of twelve are now prohibited from attending colleges and universities. Gyms and beauty salons have closed, and women are not allowed to work, go to parks, or travel without a male guardian.
Owing to these circumstances, the UN has banned numerous key Taliban leaders from traveling, and the assets of Afghanistan’s central bank are still blocked. For them to travel overseas, specific exemptions are needed.
The UN is working to create a single, global strategy for dealing with the Taliban. Senior UN representatives and diplomats from 25 other nations met with the Taliban in Qatar in June.
Human rights organizations criticized the gathering for not include representatives of civil society and women from Afghanistan.
Operating out of Kabul, the UN mission in Afghanistan monitors and documents violations of human rights in the nation.
