Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, stated at the third Madrid conference that the Taliban’s actions against women constitute “crimes against humanity.”
He warned that normalizing relations with the Taliban is a mistake and called for the recognition of a gender apartheid system under Taliban rule.
Bennett emphasized that the human rights situation in Afghanistan has worsened, with the Taliban dismantling legal structures and women’s support institutions. He added that women, ethnic minorities, and human rights activists are severely affected by these conditions.
He urged the international community to make any engagement with the Taliban conditional on respect for human rights, especially women’s rights, and stressed that the Taliban must be held accountable and the world should not abandon Afghanistan’s aspirations.
