UN rapporteur meets Afghan groups as Taliban restrictions escalate

In Afghanistan, the situation for women and journalists has continued to deteriorate under the Taliban's strict governance. Under their rule, women are increasingly being denied basic rights and freedoms, with efforts to erase them from public life becoming more prevalent. The Taliban's morality laws severely restrict women's movement and behavior, while media restrictions have also intensified. For instance, many Afghan journalists are facing increased censorship and are concerned about losing their remaining freedoms, particularly with new laws that inhibit their ability to broadcast images of living beings. Amidst these troubling developments, Richard Bennett, the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, traveled to Qatar. His objective is to engage with various Afghan groups, including both men and women, as well as government representatives to discuss the alarmingly deteriorating situation within Afghanistan. Furthermore, the Taliban's recent enforcement of morality laws, consisting of 35 articles, has led to even stricter control over societal conduct. The situation has sparked widespread condemnation from international bodies, and the European Union has continued its humanitarian aid to Afghanistan despite the Taliban's growing repression. The complex interplay of such human rights violations highlights the dire circumstances in which Afghans, particularly women and media professionals, find themselves under Taliban rule.