Richard Bennett, the U.N. special rapporteur for Afghanistan, is scheduled to visit Canada from October 20 to 26 to address the ongoing human rights crisis in Afghanistan. Bennett will meet with various stakeholders to explore how Canada can continue to support human rights in Afghanistan, according to a U.N. statement released on Friday.
During his visit, Bennett will meet with Canadian government officials in Ottawa. He is also expected to travel to Toronto, where he will engage with a broad spectrum of Afghan groups, including refugees resettled in Canada following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.
Bennett will hold discussions with Afghan human rights defenders, including women’s rights advocates, journalists, and experts. He will also meet with organizations that support Afghan refugees and Canadian civil society groups working on human rights issues.
The visit comes just over a week after the U.N. extended Bennett’s mandate for another year. In a statement at the time, Bennett emphasized his commitment to independently and impartially executing his role, pledging to document and report on human rights violations in Afghanistan.
In a recent interview with Amu, Bennett revealed that the Taliban had informed his team that they would no longer be allowed to enter Afghanistan.
