Heather Barr: UN Ignores Its Own Rapporteur to Appease Taliban

Amid growing concerns about a UN meeting for the Taliban in Doha without female representation, Heather Barr, Associate Director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, said in a video message that Richard Bennett’s recent report on the “shocking and escalating harassment of Afghan women by the Taliban” is frank and critical.

Ms. Barr says that the UN has disregarded the report of its own special representative, Richard Bennett, in order to secure the Taliban’s cooperation.

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights, will present a report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan to the UN Human Rights Council tomorrow, June 18th.

Ms. Barr added that despite this report, which indicates widespread human rights violations under Taliban rule, the UN has made concessions to the group for their participation in the third round of the Doha meeting.

She said, “We learned that the Taliban are participating in the Doha meeting based on concessions the UN has made for them. These concessions include the absence of women at the meeting and the removal of women’s rights and human rights issues from the agenda.” The UN holding the third Doha meeting with the Taliban’s presence but without women has drawn widespread criticism, with some calling it the beginning of normalizing the Taliban.