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Date
Time
6:15 pm to 8:00 pm
Venue
Brunei Gallery
Room
Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre (BGLT)
Event type
Event highlights & Lecture

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In this lecture, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights Afghanistan, will speak about key elements of the current human rights crisis in Afghanistan under the Taliban Mark II. 

Starting from the repression of women and girls, most recently analysed in his new report on the Vice and Virtue law, which also impacts the human rights all Afghans, he will also address the role of accountability and the responsibilities of various stakeholders, including governments, to centre human rights in their policies and actions. Not only as a matter of principle but also because it is necessary for the stability of the country and the welfare of the Afghan people.

About the speaker

Richard Bennett is the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in April 2022. With extensive experience in human rights, peace and security, he has served in key roles with the United Nations and Amnesty International. He has worked in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Timor-Leste, including serving twice as Chief of the Human Rights Service at UNAMA and Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to Afghanistan (2003-07 and 2018-19). 

He has also been a long-term adviser to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. In addition, he was Chief of Staff for the UN Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka and Head of Amnesty’s UN Office in New York. Currently, he is a Visiting Professor at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Lund, Sweden.

This lecture is part of the Anthony Hyman Memorial Lecture series.

  • Organiser: SOAS Centre of Contemporary Central Asia and the Caucasus
  • Contact: centres@soas.ac.uk

Header image credit: Wanman Uthmaniyyah via Unsplash

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