The Taliban have barred UN-appointed special rapporteur Richard Bennett from entering Afghanistan, a Taliban government spokesman told local television. Threeand accused the human rights watchdog of “spreading propaganda.”
Bennett was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 to monitor the human rights situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the previous year.
Bennett, who has previously said the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls could amount to crimes against humanity, is based outside Afghanistan. But he has visited the country several times to assess the situation.
The U.N. Human Rights Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bennett could not immediately be reached for comment.
Taliban government Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi told Reuters that Bennett “failed to obtain a travel visa to Afghanistan.”
“Even after repeated requests from Mr. Bennett to adhere to professionalism while working…it was decided that…his report was based on prejudices and anecdotes that were detrimental to the interests of Afghanistan and the Afghan people,” Balkhi said.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid previously said the Taliban respected women's rights according to their interpretation of Islamic law and local customs. He told Three that Bennett would not be allowed to come to Afghanistan. Entry bans for foreign officials are rare in Afghanistan.
“Mr Bennett’s trip to Afghanistan was banned because he was tasked with spreading propaganda in Afghanistan… He used to exaggerate small issues and spread them,” Mujahid said, according to Three.
Three years in power after foreign troops withdrew, the Taliban have not been officially recognized by any foreign government.
Foreign officials, including Washington, say the path to recognition will be stalled until the Taliban change course on women's rights. The Taliban have banned most girls over the age of 12 from attending school and university, barred women from parks and barred women from most long-distance travel without a male guardian.
Afghanistan's central bank assets have been frozen. Many senior Taliban officials are subject to UN-imposed travel restrictions, requiring 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 25 countries met with the Taliban in Qatar. The meeting was criticized by human rights groups for not including Afghan women and civil society representatives.
The UN mission to Afghanistan also operates from Kabul and monitors and reports on human rights issues.. (ft/es)
