Richard Bennett reports to UNGA: Afghanistan facing many challenges

KABUL (Agencies): The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, said that Afghanistan is facing a convergence of challenges, including a deteriorating human rights situation.

He said in a report to the UN General Assembly this was due to the Islamic Emirates repressive policies and practices, a culture of impunity, an ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis, recent deadly earthquakes, and the possibility of massive involuntary returns [from Pakistan], all of which require urgent action to avoid further suffering and potential instability in the country and the region.

He said: “A grave picture has emerged, providing a glimpse of what may lie ahead for the human rights of many Afghans, particularly women and girls, and also for other groups including human rights defenders, journalists, ethnic and linguistic minorities, LGBTI persons, persons with disabilities, former government officials and military and security personnel.”

He also said the recent earthquakes had severely affected already vulnerable communities in Herat, and urged the international community to provide needed assistance.

The expert stressed the need to resume the education of girls beyond the sixth grade and women’s tertiary education, noting that the IEA had repeatedly stated that the suspension was temporary.

“The Taliban’s (IEA) actions may amount to gender persecution,” Bennett said. “Systematic discrimination, oppression and segregation of women and girls require further examination of the evolving phenomenon of ‘gender apartheid.”

However, the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly said that international institutions do not reflect the true image of Afghanistan, especially when it comes to human rights, they rely more on propaganda.

“We are a war-torn country, there were no economic resources, and we are trying to revive the economic resources so that they can be created in order to eliminate the poverty and hardship of the people.” In this regard, we don’t sit quietly and work day and night, but unfortunately, these organizations always focus on the negative points instead of the positive points in publishing their reports, and which is devoid of truth,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate.