Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, stated that the attacks carried out by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) against minorities in Afghanistan-primarily targeting the Hazara community-bear all the hallmarks of international crimes.

According to AnsarPress, Bennett made the remarks in his latest report presented to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, which reviews the human rights situation in Afghanistan during the first months of the current year.

He stressed that grievances and complaints of Afghanistan`s ethnic, religious, and linguistic communities, as well as the attacks against them, have not been adequately documented, analyzed, or addressed, while the Taliban continue to ignore these systemic injustices.

Bennett warned that the Taliban`s failure to address ethnic and sectarian discrimination could lead to greater instability and unrest in Afghanistan. He called on the de facto authorities to abandon discriminatory policies and to ensure meaningful inclusion and representation of all ethnic and religious groups in governance and decision-making processes.

The report documented numerous cases of religious persecution, including the forced conversion of at least 50 Ismaili Shia Muslims to Sunni Islam in Badakhshan Province, and pressure on Shia families to send their children to Sunni religious schools.

Bennett further reported that the Taliban`s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has intensified its suppression of religious freedoms, arresting individuals under accusations such as "blasphemy," "promoting atheism," and "Christianity." Among the cited cases were a teacher sentenced to death in Paktika and six Kabul University students detained on similar charges.

The UN rapporteur also expressed alarm over the use of derogatory and dehumanizing language by Taliban officials, referencing a speech by Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban`s Minister for the Promotion of Virtue, in which he compared non-Muslims to "four-legged animals."

Bennett additionally noted an increase in online hate speech and ethnic discrimination, particularly the use of derogatory slurs against Hazaras based on their appearance and the false conflation of Pashtuns with Taliban supporters.

He warned that such rhetoric and dehumanization could serve as a precursor to broader atrocities, urging all Afghan citizens to refrain from hate speech and discriminatory language and to respect the human dignity and equal rights of all ethnic and religious communities.