Afghanistan's human rights crisis leading to authoritarianism: UN expert

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) – Afghanistan is facing a deepening human rights crisis under Taliban rule leading to authoritarianism, a UN expert warned Monday.

In his first report to the Human Rights Council, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett catalogs human rights abuses under the Taliban since it seized control of the country in August 2021.

These include a severe rollback of the rights of women and girls, reprisals targeting opponents and critics, attacks on minorities including Hazara-Shia, and a clampdown on the media.

Bennett expressed grave concern to the 51st session of the Human Rights Council about the staggering regression in women and girls' enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the suspension of secondary school education for girls.

"In no other country have women and girls so rapidly disappeared from all spheres of public life," he said.

"Despite this, women and girls remain at the forefront of efforts to maintain human rights and continue to call for accountability."

- Revenge killings

Bennett's report to the council, which is sitting from Sept. 12 to Oct. 7, said there had been systematic attacks against the civilian population, including revenge killings of former government officials.

"I am particularly concerned that former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces and officials remain subject to ongoing extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, despite the amnesty declared by the Taliban," he said.

Bennett said journalistic independence and freedom of expression in Afghanistan were significantly curtailed and access to information has become increasingly challenging.

"Journalists have been attacked, intimidated, arrested and subjected to strict censorship. Civic space has eroded rapidly, and human rights organizations have faced constant pressure," the Special Rapporteur said.

"There is no tolerance for even peaceful modes of dissent or complaint, which are frequently met with violence. Taken together, the measures are indicators of a slide into authoritarianism," he said.

Bennett warned that since the Taliban takeover, the judicial system's independence had been compromised and local human rights monitoring mechanisms dismantled, with the abolition of the independent Human Rights Commission being a particular concern.

"There is no national mechanism in Afghanistan that can openly address the scale of the human rights violations taking place, let alone hold perpetrators accountable or provide victims with reparation and redress," he said.

His report also highlighted that the situation of ethnic and religious minorities, which have faced historical persecution and attacks, has deteriorated since August 2021.

"Their places of worship (and) educational and medical centers have been systematically attacked," Bennett noted.

"They have been arbitrarily arrested, tortured, summarily executed, evicted, marginalized and in some cases forced to flee the country, raising questions of international crimes that warrant further investigation.”