Afghanistan: Taliban Denies Entry to UN Rights Expert

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Facts

  • UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan Richard Bennett has been barred from entering the country for allegedly spreading 'propaganda' against the Taliban administration.[1]
  • He reported in June that Afghan women and girls were subject to a treatment akin to 'gender apartheid,' noting 'the systemic oppression' could amount to a crime against humanity.[2][3]
  • The Taliban-appointed foreign ministry confirmed the entry ban on Wednesday, with an official telling Arab News on condition of anonymity that the ban was already in place 'but was not made public' before media broke the news.[4]
  • Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesperson for the ministry, told Reuters that Bennett had based his reports 'on prejudices and anecdotes detrimental to (the) interests of Afghanistan and the Afghan people' despite repeated requests for professionalism.[5]
  • This comes a week after Bennett urged the international community not to 'normalize the de facto authorities or their appalling human rights violations' as the Taliban observed the third anniversary of their takeover.[6][7]
  • The UN Human Rights Council appointed him to monitor Afghanistan's human rights situation in April 2022, less than a year after the Taliban returned to power.[8][9]

Sources: [1]Afghanistan International, [2]UN News, [3]Voice of America, [4]Arab News, [5]Reuters, [6]UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett on X, [7]France 24, [8]Middleeastmonitor and [9]AA.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by New York Times and Independent. The Taliban banning Bennett from visiting Afghanistan shows the regime's crackdown on human rights is ongoing. Taliban's sweeping curbs on women and girls' access to education, employment, public places, salons, and gyms highlight their gender-based persecution. The international community must insist on reversing the institutionalized and systematic repression against millions of Afghans.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Outlook India and Al Jazeera. The Taliban views and respects women's rights according to Islamic law and Afghan customs. Bennett misrepresented the ground realities, published biased reports, exaggerated minor issues, and propagated hatred toward the Afghans to undermine the government's credibility on the global stage. The West failed the people of Afghanistan, but it will not be allowed to meddle with the country's internal matters and rattle it again.

Predictions