UK emphasizes accountability for human rights violations in Afghanistan

KABUL: Richard Lindsay, the UK special representative for Afghanistan, has stated that those responsible for human rights violations in Afghanistan must be held accountable. He shared the remarks in a brief message on X, which was reposted by Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur. Lindsay described a virtual meeting of human rights activists focused on Afghanistan as significant and expressed gratitude to its organizers. During the meeting, representatives from international organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Richard Bennett, referred to the human rights situation in Afghanistan as a “crime against humanity” and emphasized the responsibility of the international community. Bennett asserted that the Taliban should not be normalized or recognized until progress is made in improving human rights conditions. Human Rights Watch also issued a statement on the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s rule, urging UN member states to hold the group accountable for widespread human rights violations. The statement highlighted that the Taliban have expanded a climate of repression by increasing restrictions on women and girls, detaining journalists, and suppressing dissent. Farah Abbasi, a researcher at the organization, noted that the “atrocities of the Taliban” should compel governments to support efforts to hold the group’s leaders and perpetrators of crimes in Afghanistan accountable.