RASC News Agency: Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, announced that a two-day meeting took place between him and several Afghanistani activists in Norway. Bennett described the meetings, hosted by the Human Rights Research Association in Oslo on Tuesday, May 14th, as positive, noting that he found inspiration in the women participants.
The Human Rights Research Association stated that Bennett discussed several critical issues during the meeting, including women’s and girls’ rights in Afghanistan, accountability processes for human rights violations, and the environmental impacts of war on children and future generations. Although Bennett did not mention the presence of Taliban representatives at the Oslo meeting, sources report that some Taliban officials were invited.
In response to the invitation of Taliban representatives, several women’s rights activists held a protest in front of Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday. The protesters labeled the Taliban a “terrorist group” and urged the international community not to engage in dialogue with them or recognize their legitimacy.