His Special Rapporteur UN for human rights in Afghanistan announced today that the situation in the country has worsened because of the regime Talibanspeaking of the “terrifying oppression” of women and girls and the “movement towards authoritarianism”.

Richard Bennet called for radical change in the country.

“Severely limiting the rights of women and girls, retribution against opponents and critics (of the regime), and the Taliban’s restriction of freedom of expression is tantamount to a path to authoritarianism,” Bennett told a meeting of the Human Rights Council.

“In no other country have women and girls disappeared so quickly from all spheres of public life,” he stressed.

For her part, UN Under-Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilse Brands Keris said that around 850,000 girls have dropped out of school, leaving them vulnerable to sexual exploitation and marriage.

Most of Afghanistan’s secondary schools have remained closed for more than a year after the Taliban seized power. The Islamists have said girls’ schools will remain closed until a work plan is drawn up in accordance with Islamic law.

At the same time, Branch Cares expressed concern about women’s access to lawyers in cases where they are victims of gender-based violence. “Women in today’s Afghanistan have nowhere to go to seek justice and redress.”

“Systematic” attacks on Shiites

In addition, according to Bennett, attacks on Shiites in Afghanistan appear to be “systematic” and may constitute “international crimes.”

“These attacks appear to be systematic and have elements of organized politics. Therefore, they have signs of international crimes and should be the subject of a thorough investigation,” he added.

The predominantly Hazara Shia community, which makes up between 10% and 20% of Afghanistan’s population, has been persecuted for many years.

“They have been victims of attacks for years, which is often claimed by the Islamic State-Khorasan,” Bennett explained.

“The Hazara and Shia communities are among the most persecuted groups. Their members are arbitrarily arrested, tortured, summarily executed, evicted from their ancestral lands and subject to economic discrimination and marginalization,” he complained.

About a year ago, Bennett was appointed by the Human Rights Council to oversee the human rights situation in Afghanistan. His term is expected to be extended on 6 or 7 October.

Security in Afghanistan has been gradually improving since the Taliban took over in August 2021. However, the attacks are frequent, mostly the responsibility of the local branch of IS in Afghanistan, which considers the Shiites to be heretics.

^{Source: APE, AFP, Reuters.}