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The Taliban deny entry to Afghanistan to the UN rapporteur

2024-08-21 13:46:00, Kosova & Bota CNA
The Taliban deny entry to Afghanistan to the UN rapporteur
UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, Richard Bennett. Photo from the archive, AFP

The Taliban have blocked the entry of United Nations special rapporteur Richard Bennett into Afghanistan, a Taliban spokesman told local broadcaster Tolo, accusing the human rights watchdog of "spreading propaganda".

Bennett was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2022 to monitor the human rights situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban took power in 2021.

Bennett, who has previously said that the Taliban's treatment of women and girls constitutes a crime against humanity, is based outside Afghanistan, but has visited the country several times to research the human rights situation.

The UN Human Rights Council has yet to comment on the Taliban's decision, and neither has Bennett.

The spokesman for the Taliban administration's Foreign Ministry, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, told Reuters that Bennett "has not been able to obtain a travel visa to Afghanistan."

Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Taliban administration, Zabihullah Mujahid, had earlier stated that the Taliban respect women's rights based on their interpretation of Islamic law and local traditions. He told Tolo that Bennett will not be allowed to enter Afghanistan because “he has been appointed to spread propaganda in Afghanistan. He exaggerates small problems and uses them for propaganda."

Three years after foreign troops withdrew and the Taliban took power, no foreign government has officially recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan's leaders.

After returning to power, the Taliban have curtailed the rights of women and girls. Most girls over the age of 12 are not allowed to continue their education, while women are not allowed to visit parks and travel unaccompanied by a man./ REL





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