A group of countries, led by Iceland, has issued a joint statement urging the UN Human Rights Council to hold the Taliban accountable for widespread human rights violations.
According to Human Rights Watch, these countries called on the Human Rights Council last week to take practical measures to investigate past and ongoing human rights violations in Afghanistan.
The statement emphasizes the need for an independent and comprehensive investigative mechanism that goes beyond the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur and systematically documents human rights abuses.
This call comes as Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, warned that the Taliban have exploited the lack of serious international action.
However, Human Rights Watch has criticized some countries and the European Union for failing to push forward the creation of such a mechanism.