Taliban bans UN human rights special rapporteur from Afghanistan

FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP

The Taliban have barred United Nations-appointed special rapporteur Richard Bennett from entering Afghanistan, the administration's spokesperson 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 Afghanistan's human rights situation after the Taliban took over the previous year.

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

The UN Human Rights Council did not immediately respond to request for comment. Bennett could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Taliban administration's foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi told Reuters Bennett "had been unable to acquire a travel visa to Afghanistan".

"Even after repeatedly requesting Mr. Bennett to adhere to professionalism during work ... it was decided that ... his reports are based on prejudices and anecdotes detrimental to interests of Afghanistan and the Afghan people," Balkhi said.

Taliban administration spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has previously said the Taliban respect women's rights in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic law and local customs. He told Tolo that Bennett would not be allowed to come to Afghanistan, a rare public barring of an individual foreign official.

"Mr. Bennett's travel to Afghanistan has been prohibited because he was assigned to spread propaganda in Afghanistan... He used to exaggerate minor issues and propagate them," Mujahid said, according to Tolo.

Three years into their rule after foreign forces withdrew, the Taliban have not been formally recognised by any foreign government.

Foreign officials, including Washington, have said the path towards recognition is stuck until the Taliban changes course on women's rights, having barred most girls over the age of 12 from schools and universities, banning women from parks, and stopping most long-distance travel by women without a male guardian.

Afghanistan's central bank assets have been frozen and many senior Taliban officials are subject to UN travel restrictions that require them to seek exemptions to enter other countries.

The UN has been trying to find a unified international approach to dealing with the Taliban. In June, top UN officials and envoys from up to 25 countries met the Taliban in Qatar, receiving criticism from human rights groups for not including Afghan women and civil society representatives at the meeting.

The UN mission to Afghanistan also operates from Kabul and monitors and reports on human rights issues.

More from International News

  • Thousands of Australians without power as cyclone Alfred hits

    Hundreds of thousands of people in Australia's Queensland state were without power on Sunday after Alfred, a downgraded tropical cyclone, brought damaging winds and heavy rains, sparking flood warnings.

  • Israeli airstrike kills two in southern Gaza

    An Israeli airstrike killed two Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, medical sources said, as mediators pushed ahead with talks to extend a shaky 42-day ceasefire agreed in January between Israel and Hamas.

  • 12 people injured in Toronto pub shooting

    Toronto Police said early on Saturday they were searching for three male suspects in a shooting that injured at least 12 people at a pub in the Canadian city.

  • Cyclone Alfred downgraded as millions stay indoors

    Ex-tropical cyclone Alfred lingered off the south-east Australian coast on Saturday and forecasters said Brisbane is likely to miss the worst of the storm, a relief for millions of residents in the region who have been staying indoors.

  • South Korea's President Yoon free, trials continue

    South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol walked out of a detention centre in Seoul on Saturday after prosecutors decided not to appeal a court decision to cancel the impeached leader's arrest warrant on insurrection charges.

On Virgin Radio today

  • Non Stop Hits

    Midnight - 6:00am

    The UAE's #1 Hit Music Station with no interruptions

  • The Kris Fade Show

    6:00am - 10:00am

    Kris, Priti and Rossi host the UAE's biggest radio show. It's full of fun, laughs and it's Where The Stars Live.

Trending on Virgin Radio