Taliban ban UN human rights rapporteur in Afghanistan

The Taliban has banned the UN special rapporteur for human rights, Richard Bennett, from entering Afghanistan, a government spokesman has told local broadcaster. Bennett was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 to monitor Afghanistan’s human rights situation after the Taliban took over in the previous year.

Bennett said in a statement that the Taliban will no longer grant him access to Afghanistan is a step backward and sends a concerning signal about their engagement with the United Nations and the international community on human rights.