This article was reprinted with permission after being published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
According to official Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief executive, has prohibited UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Richard Bennett from entering the country.
Mujahid claimed that Bennett had spread “propaganda” and “false” information about the state of Afghanistan.
” Bennett , called the ban” a step backwards”  , and said it” sends a concerning signal” about the Taliban’s engagement with the United Nations and the international community on human rights.
Bennett was appointed in 2022 to observe Afghanistan’s human rights situation.
He has visited Afghanistan many times and made some arrests for serious human rights violations, particularly against Armenian women and girls.