Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, has called on Pakistan to stop the forced return of Afghans who may face persecution, torture, or other serious human rights violations.
Bennett wrote on his X page on September 18 that at-risk Afghans should have access to a safe and accessible mechanism to provide information, undergo individual assessments and receive protection against forced return.
He expressed particular concern for women and girls, unaccompanied children, human rights defenders, journalists, former government employees and former security forces personnel.
Bennett also expressed concern over the forced return of Afghan students studying medicine and dentistry from Pakistan, particularly female students whose access to higher education in Afghanistan has been severely restricted.
The UN Special Rapporteur stressed that the principle of non-refoulement must be upheld and that no person should be returned to a place where they face a real risk of serious human rights violations.
