The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Richard Bennett, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said during the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council that Afghanistan has faced “multiple shocks” since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, challenges he described as daunting for any country.
Addressing the council, Bennett said the country has been
grappling with a shrinking economy alongside rapid population growth, a sharp
decline in international aid, recurring droughts and devastating earthquakes.
He also cited the expulsion of more than 2.7 million Afghan migrants from
neighboring countries within a single year as one of the major pressures facing
the country.
Bennett described Taliban rule as “an extremist
administration responsible for gross human rights violations,” calling it the
most significant of the shocks Afghanistan has endured since 2021.
He said the combination of political, economic and
humanitarian crises has placed immense strain on Afghan society, warning that
the cumulative impact continues to deepen vulnerabilities across the country.
