The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) has expressed concern over the Taliban’s prohibition on Richard Bennett (UN-appointed Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan) from entering the country.

Bennett was due to visit Afghanistan to critically assess the nation’s human rights situation as mandated by the UN Human Rights Council Resolution 48/1.

Announcing the ban, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid criticised Mr Bennett’s accounts of the human rights situation in Afghanistan, claiming that his travel was prohibited because “he was assigned to spread propaganda in Afghanistan”.

Since the ban, the Taliban has ratified the ‘Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice’, with 35 articles significantly restricting the rights of the Afghan population.

Restrictions

Among others, these laws particularly reinforce existing restrictions on women’s fundamental human rights, IBAHRI states.

Article 13 prescribes that women must completely veil their bodies at all times and cannot speak or show their faces outside their homes.

IBAHRI co-chair Anne Ramberg stated: “The Taliban’s decision to prevent Mr Bennett from travelling to Afghanistan raises serious concerns.

“Since taking back control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have restricted women’s and girls’ most fundamental human rights. By keeping them out of nearly every sphere of public life, they have imposed what is accurately termed “gender apartheid”.

“It is imperative that the international community continues to monitor the situation and advocate for the freedoms of Afghan women and girls,” she said.

IBAHRI’s Mark Stephens CBE, commented: “Denying the Special Rapporteur entry into Afghanistan evades international accountability for the Taliban’s ongoing violations of women’s and girls’ human rights."

Setback

“It is yet another setback for human rights monitoring in the country. In order to fulfil his mandate as a Special Rapporteur under Resolution 48/1, Richard Bennett requires unrestricted access to Afghanistan, the ability to interact with pertinent parties, and the full support of those parties.

“The IBAHRI calls for him to be given everything he needs in order to carry out his mandate effectively.”

Bennett commented that the Taliban’s decision was a “step backwards and sends a concerning signal about their engagement with the United Nations and the international community on human rights.”