GENEVA (9 September 2024) – Observing an ever-increasing number of restrictions for women and girls, concerns around the situation of minorities and children, a shrinking civic space and a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, a UN independent expert said today that all tools should be used to stop the long and destructive cycle of impunity. The latest Taliban morality law marks a new phase in the ongoing regression in the respect for human rights, said Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan. “This law reinforces the Taliban’s institutionalised system of sex and gender discrimination, segregation, and oppression – in short, gender persecution, a crime against humanity - and impacts almost the entire population. Unaddressed, the repercussions will shape future generations,” Bennett said during his Oral Update at the Human Rights Council. Bennett also updated the Council about the concerning situation of minorities, children, LGBTI people, human rights defenders, and journalists, as well as older people, and people with disabilities who are also affected by a worsening humanitarian crisis. He said he has observed a marked change in the rhetoric and actions of the Taliban. “Having reached the crossroads, the Taliban appear to have taken a direction that only leads back to the appalling conditions of the late 1990s. Collectively, we must persuade them to reverse and take the other direction,” the Special Rapporteur said. He noted that human rights have been violated for more than four decades in Afghanistan and urged Member States to identify survivor-centred and gender-responsive pathways to justice in addition to strengthening existing mechanisms so that the situation in the country receives a response that is proportionate to its gravity. Such a comprehensive approach echoes his previous calls for an all tools approach. “Regrettably, impunity has prevailed in Afghanistan for generations. It is among the causes of conflict and repression in the country. Failure to effectively tackle the cycle of impunity only emboldens the Taliban’s oppressive regime and reduces the possibility of genuine and durable peace in Afghanistan and beyond,” the expert said. He urged the international community to include women and non-Taliban Afghans in any process about the future of the country and to place human rights at the centre. Mr. Richard Bennett is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan. He officially assumed duties on 1 May 2022. He has served in Afghanistan on several occasions in different capacities including as the Chief of the Human Rights Service with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity. UN human rights country page: Afghanistan For inquiries and media requests, please contact: hrc-sr-afghanistan@un.org For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org) or Safa Msehli (safa.msehli@un.org) Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter: @UN_SPExperts.