Amnesty International Urges Renewal of Richard Bennett’s Afghanistan Mandate
Amnesty International has called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, so that international monitoring of the country’s human rights situation can continue.
In its latest position, the organisation said that at the council’s current session, several signatory bodies have asked all delegations to support a full extension of the mandate. According to Amnesty International, continued special reporting on the rights of women and girls, as well as maintaining a strong interactive dialogue on the issue, are essential parts of the mandate.
Amnesty International has also called for a separate special report on the situation of marginalised ethnic, religious and linguistic groups and communities. It said an interactive dialogue on the conditions facing these groups should also be on the agenda of the Human Rights Council.
The organisation added that the forthcoming resolution should also stress the need to activate Afghanistan’s independent investigative mechanism as soon as possible, a mechanism created by the Human Rights Council in October 2025 through the adoption of a resolution.
Richard Bennett’s mandate was previously extended for another year in October 2025, and the 47-member Human Rights Council is now set to discuss again in early October whether to continue the mandate. This year’s sessions of the council began in Geneva on Sept. 7 and will run until Oct. 7.
Bennett has previously presented his comprehensive report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan to the Human Rights Council and warned about restrictions, violations of women’s rights and pressure on various social groups. The council is also due to examine a draft resolution submitted by the European Union, which says extending the special rapporteur’s mandate for Afghanistan is a necessity.
