Following concerns expressed by the people of Panjshir province regarding the Taliban’s “massive crackdown” on Panjshir’s civilians, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, invited Afghans to communicate human rights concerns to his office.
Khaama Press reports that the UN official, Bennett, in a thread of tweets on Sunday, October 23, stated that he met stakeholders including civil society representatives in several provinces as part of his visit to Afghanistan.
Bennett noted on Twitter that the representatives of Panjshir province in northern Afghanistan described the Taliban’s widespread repression of civilians there, including egregious violations of women’s and children’s rights.
The National Resistance Front (NRF) fighters’ treatment by the Taliban, while they were out of combat, was described as “shocking” by the UN human rights rapporteur for Afghanistan.
Following the conclusion of Richard Bennett’s visit to Afghanistan, a group of protesting women reportedly claimed that Bennett had instead spoken to the Taliban government’s governor in Panjshir rather than the locals and victims in Panjshir.
The UN official, however, has said that the Taliban should stop violating human rights in Panjshir and that he will raise the issue at the UN General Assembly on October 26.
Bennett has also urged Afghans to contact the UN office of the human rights rapporteur with any concerns they may have regarding human rights, providing his email address.
This comes as the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan are accused of extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations as they work to suppress an armed uprising, NRF, in the country’s north.
After completing his 12-day visit to Afghanistan today, Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, concluded that the country continues to experience a serious crisis and urgent action is needed from all parties to avert a further deterioration of the situation.
Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Office of High Commissioner reports that after completing his 12-day visit to Afghanistan on October 20, Richard Bennett concluded that the country continues to experience a serious crisis and urgent action is needed from all parties to avert a further deterioration of the situation.
The objectives of the expert’s mission were to engage with all relevant stakeholders, update his assessment of the situation based on further consultations and site-visits, and look into potential for improvement, including through implementation of recommendations from his recent report to the Human Rights Council.
The objectives of the expert’s mission were to engage with all relevant stakeholders, update his assessment of the situation based on further consultations and site-visits, and look into potential for improvement, including through implementation of recommendations from his recent report to the Human Rights Council.
The Special Rapporteur reportedly visited the provinces of Kabul, Bamyan and Panjshir, where local authorities, community elders, activists and journalists shared their concerns. He visited hospitals in Kabul and Panjshir and detention facilities in Bamiyan and Kabul to listen to prisoners, including women, medical personnel and prison officers.
The objectives of the expert’s mission were to engage with all relevant stakeholders, update his assessment of the situation based on further consultations and site-visits, and look into potential for improvement, including through implementation of recommendations from his recent report to the Human Rights Council.
