Richard Bennett Calls for Collective Global Response to Taliban Human Rights Violations

On Monday (September 9), at the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Bennett emphasized that the Taliban's new "Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" law marks a new phase of human rights violations that began following the Taliban's takeover in August 2021.

According to Bennett, this law not only institutionalizes Taliban's gender-based discrimination and repression but also affects almost the entire population of Afghanistan. He also highlighted the repression of ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities, especially the Hazara community, who are suffering greatly from this oppression.

Bennett noted that human rights violations in Afghanistan also impact children, LGBTQ+ individuals, and the elderly, who face public corporal punishment and other forms of violence.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights stated that severe repression of human rights has also made it almost impossible for journalists and human rights activists to operate in Afghanistan. He added that the Taliban do not tolerate any dissenting views and have reverted to their 1990s policies.

Bennett stressed that the human rights crisis in Afghanistan has existed not only over the past three years but throughout more than four and a half decades of conflict in the country. He asserted that all parties involved in Afghanistan are responsible for human rights violations and must be held accountable.

Bennett called for a collective global response to the Taliban's human rights abuses and emphasized that any normalization of relations with the Taliban should be based on measurable and independent progress in human rights.

This comes as the Taliban have banned Richard Bennett from entering Afghanistan and accused him of propaganda against them.