UN Envoy Warns Afghanistan Internet Blackout is “Strangling Rights and Economy,” Urges Global Action

KABUL/GENEVA – The United Nations’ top human rights envoy for Afghanistan has issued a stark warning that the nation’s protracted internet shutdown is escalating into a full-blown crisis, severely endangering fundamental freedoms and pushing the country’s fragile economy toward collapse.

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, took to social media platform X on Tuesday, September 30th, to sound the alarm. He stated that the blackout is inflicting profound damage on daily life, with women and girls bearing the brunt of the disruption.

A Deepening Human Rights Catastrophe

Bennett detailed that the shutdown is systematically dismantling critical pillars of society. “This is not merely an inconvenience; it is a stranglehold on rights and a lifeline for the vulnerable,” he wrote. The blackout has severely crippled access to essential services:

• Education: Virtual classrooms, a crucial avenue for education, especially for women and girls barred from secondary and university education, have gone silent.

• Healthcare: Telemedicine consultations, a vital resource in a country with a crippled healthcare system, have been severed. Patients are unable to contact doctors or access digital health records.

• Communication & Expression: The flow of information has been stifled, isolating Afghans from each other and the world, and crushing freedom of expression at a time when dissent is already perilous.

Economic Impact: From Fragile to Freefall

Beyond the immediate human rights concerns, Bennett emphasized the devastating economic toll. The shutdown has thrown business operations into chaos, disrupted digital trade and financial transactions, and jeopardized the flow of remittances—a financial lifeline for millions of Afghans reliant on funds from family members abroad.

“This digital siege threatens to unravel what little economic stability remains,” Bennett cautioned. “Businesses cannot function, entrepreneurs are cut off from markets, and families are losing access to crucial financial support. The consequences could be catastrophic, plunging more people into destitution.”

A Call for International Scrutiny and Action

Bennett urged the international community to treat the situation with the utmost seriousness, framing it not as a simple technical failure but as a deliberate act with dire humanitarian consequences. He warned that prolonged restrictions would only deepen Afghanistan’s existing crises, including widespread hunger and poverty.

The Special Rapporteur confirmed that an official UN statement on the issue is forthcoming, signaling that the matter will be elevated to the highest levels of multilateral diplomacy.

Broader Implications and Mounting Pressure

Analysts suggest the blackout is part of a broader pattern of digital isolation and social control. The move effectively enforces a form of collective punishment, silencing dissent and obscuring the human rights situation within the country from international view.

The growing outcry from Bennett and other international actors is seen as a critical test of global influence. This external pressure may prove decisive in compelling the de facto authorities to restore connectivity. The situation presents a pivotal moment: will Afghanistan be allowed to fade into digital darkness, or will concerted international action help safeguard the fundamental rights of its people?

The world now watches to see if the digital lights will be switched back on, or if the blackout will become a permanent curtain, isolating a nation in crisis.

 

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