Bennett says Afghanistan continues to experience a serious crisis and urgent action is needed to avert a further deterioration
Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Afghanistan, on Sunday said that during his 12-day visit to the country, he met with diverse stakeholders and was told by Panjshir residents of a massive crackdown on civilians by Taliban and of widespread human rights abuses.
Bennett said violations of women and girls’ rights were also reported, as was the “shocking treatment of NRF fighters” in Panjshir who were out of action – or as he said, “hors de combat”.
“This must stop and those responsible held to account. I will discuss these concerns at the UN General Assembly on 26 October,” he said.
Bennett also invited Afghans from all communities to communicate their human rights concerns to his office. He said concerns can be emailed confidentially to [email protected].
After completing his 12-day visit to Afghanistan on Oct. 20, 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.
Bennett’s mission was aimed at enabling him to engage with all relevant stakeholders in order to update his assessment of the situation based on further consultations and site visits.
