Taliban marks five years in power as UN warns of worsening human rights crisis in Afghanistan

Afghans gather to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Taliban’s return to power on Saturday. Pic/PTI

Taliban rulers gathered at Afghanistan's traditional Loya Jirga assembly hall on Saturday to celebrate their fifth anniversary of power. In a video message, Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, said the country was undergoing a deep human rights crisis.

"While the era of war has ended, it's questionable whether there's real peace, and the human rights situation has steadily deteriorated, most dramatically for women and girls," Bennett said. Bennett warned the international community against "normalising" the Taliban's policies, saying it would legitimise the discrimination and tell "victims their suffering is negotiable."

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