UN Rights Envoy Warns Against Collective Punishment of Afghans After DC Shooting

Richard Bennett, the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, has warned against allowing the alleged criminal act of one individual to cast a shadow over the image and fate of all Afghans. His statement came after an Afghan national was identified as the suspect in a shooting that injured two U.S. National Guard members outside the White House.

Writing on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, Bennett stressed that the suspect must be prosecuted in accordance with the law but cautioned against punishing the broader Afghan community for the crime of an individual. He emphasized that attributing a lone criminal act to an entire ethnic group or nation is both unjust and troubling.

U.S. security officials have named Rahmanullah, an Afghan citizen, as the primary suspect in the shooting. According to American media outlets, the condition of the injured remains critical.

In the aftermath of the incident, the U.S. immigration authorities have suspended the processing of new asylum applications from Afghan refugees—a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations and migrant advocacy groups.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a comprehensive review and re-evaluation of all Afghan refugee cases. Fox News reported that Rahmanullah had worked as a CIA intelligence asset during U.S. missions in Afghanistan and was relocated to the United States in 2021.

This latest development has heightened concerns over the future of thousands of Afghan refugees who faced threats in Afghanistan after the collapse of the previous government and had cooperated with Western institutions. As the Taliban administration continues to violate human rights, many Afghans were forced to flee the country—but now face new obstacles in their journey to seek asylum.