UN Special Rapporteur Calls for Investigation into Killings by Taliban Forces in Kabul
Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, has called for an immediate and impartial investigation into reports of multiple killings by Taliban forces in Kabul.
On Monday, August 10, Bennett wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that four individuals were killed today and seven others a few days ago in the jurisdiction of Kabul’s 8th police district. He expressed serious concerns regarding these incidents.
The UN Special Rapporteur emphasized that any use of “lethal force” must comply with international human rights laws.
These remarks come amid reports that four Hazara youths were shot dead by armed individuals affiliated with the Taliban administration in Kabul’s 13th police district in the Dasht-e-Barchi area.
In contrast, Khalid Zadran, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Kabul police command, claimed that four “armed thieves” were killed in the jurisdiction of the city’s 18th police district.
Richard Bennett has been appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, human rights organizations have repeatedly raised concerns over arbitrary detentions, violence, and excessive use of force against civilians.
