The Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to keep Afghanistan and its people at the forefront of its agenda.

“It is important to hold the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) to account for their policies and actions,” he told the UN rights body this week.

Bennett’s account coincided with the UN mission in Afghanistan’s (UNAMA) latest report on the human rights situation – covering the period from January to March 2024.

In its report, UNAMA said that while the new school year in Afghanistan commenced in April, it did so without the presence of Afghan girls in high schools.

The report also stated that an invitation to attend a ceremony in Kabul marking the commencement of the new academic year, issued to media by the Ministry of Education, specifically instructed women journalists not to attend, citing a “lack of proper place[s]” for women.

UNAMA did however point out that while they still received reports of the enforcement of the hijab instruction,such incidents significantly decreased after January 2024 with the cessation of the large-scale enforcement actions which took place between December 2023 and January 2024.

On the issue of freedom of media, UNAMA said the situation for journalists was “mixed”.

“Some journalists have reported an improvement in access to information with the appointment of spokespersons for de facto line departments at provincial level and the establishment of WhatsApp groups by some de facto entities to distribute information.”

However, journalists and media workers continue to operate in a challenging environment, with the media facing significant financial challenges, in addition to a range of restrictions imposed by the Islamic Emirate and the risk of arbitrary detentions.

Between January and March, at least four journalists were arrested, including one from Japan’s Kyodo news agency. All have since been released.

UNAMA stated however that threats to former government officials and former ANDSF members, including arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and ill-treatment and extrajudicial killings, continue to be reported to UNAMA Human Rights, despite the general amnesty announced by the Islamic Emirate.

On the death penalty and corporal punishment, UNAMA reported that the Islamic Emirate carried out three public executions of individuals sentenced to the death penalty.

“In all three instances, the de facto authorities stated that the death penalty was implemented in accordance with a sentence upheld by three de facto Courts (District, Appeal and Supreme) and approval by the Taliban leader,” the report read.

In response to the UNAMA report, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, said that no one’s rights have been lost in Afghanistan, but Sharia rights of men and women in Afghanistan are secured and people have access to their rights more so now than before.

Mujahid called the UNAMA report baseless and said the report was not accurate.

Regarding the arrests of former government officials, Mujahid says no one has been arrested and there are no documents in this regard.

“In general, UNAMA’s reports are always full of propaganda and are meant to destroy public minds, and they do not have any documents to prove their claims,” added Mujahid.