UN special rapporteur condemns lack of accountability for crimes in Afghanistan

KABUL: The United Nations Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, condemned the lack of accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and human rights violations, TOLO News reported.

Richard Bennett, during a conference on 'Accountability for Crimes Committed in Afghanistan', said the country, for decades, has been experiencing impunity for violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. The conference was held on Friday in New York, US.

"I would like to stress the importance of this event, as accountability is the bedrock of the human rights system and Afghanistan has been experiencing impunity for decades ... for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and violations of human rights or international humanitarian law," the UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan said.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Executive Director and Director of Programmes of the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), Anna Myriam Roccatello, stressed that the member states, particularly those that are involved in various phases of the conflict in Afghanistan, should consider opening cases for their own citizens."

The representative of Norway, who was also present at the conference, highlighted that Afghan women should attend the meetings in Afghanistan, TOLO News reported.

"The representative of Norway in this conference emphasised the global support for women in Afghanistan and added that women should attend the meetings about Afghanistan," the representative said.

Andreas Lovold, Norwegian ambassador and deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, addressed the need to create a joint platform with Afghan women where they can speak openly. "We should, as member states, do whatever we can to provide that platform because it's not only about talking and discussing about the current situation, it's about the future of their country," he said.

However, the Taliban claimed the US and its allies are perpetrators of war crimes in Afghanistan, according to TOLO News. Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Taliban, said, "If there was a crime or violation of human rights during the 20 years of American occupation, they themselves were the main perpetrators of the crimes. If it is calculated, they must be calculated." Earlier, Amnesty International called for an investigation of war crimes in Afghanistan before 2021, according to TOLO News.

The organisation asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to review cases of war crimes committed by the Taliban.