On the occasion of the 59th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Research League delivered an oral statement on Afghanistan during the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett. HRRL Chairman Tom Syring underlined that almost four years after the Taliban's seizure of power, the humanitarian and human rights situation in the country remained dire, with widespread hunger, food insecurity, and the continuing exclusion of women from work and public life, and of girls from education beyond sixth grade. This will not only have a lasting, negative effect on the mental health of those deprived of opportunities for personal growth, but on the development of the country. HRRL therefore strongly supports the Special Rapporteur's call upon States not to commence any normalization of engagement with the de facto authorities unless and until significant improvements in human rights, especially for women and girls, have been achieved. For details, please see the video of the Oral Statement on UN Web TV. 

Human Rights Research League also submitted a Written Statement on 'Returned to Insecurity in Afghanistan: Continuing Pushbacks against Afghans amid Humanitarian Crisis and Lack of Accountability for Ongoing Atrocities' (UN doc. A/HRC/59/NGO/181) to the United Nations General Assembly.