KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A group of UN experts, including Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett, expressed support for initiating a case against Taliban-controlled Afghanistan at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its crimes against women.
In a statement on Wednesday, August 14, 30 UN experts stated that the Taliban’s deliberate and systematic subjugation of women and girls amounts to crimes against humanity, including gender persecution.
They called on ICJ to expedite its investigation into Afghanistan and issue indictments where sufficient admissible evidence exists.
“Over the past three years, the people of Afghanistan, especially women and girls, have been subjected to an appalling and intensifying attack on their rights and freedoms by a regime that lacks legitimacy and inclusivity,” the experts said.
“We support efforts to initiate a case against Afghanistan at the International Court of Justice for violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and other applicable instruments,” they added.
During the three years of Taliban rule, Afghanistan has become one of the most oppressive countries for women and girls. The regime has severely restricted their movements, denying them access to education, employment, social mobility, and other fundamental freedoms.
Since the Taliban’s return to power on August 15, 2021, they have issued over 80 edicts, directives, and statements specifically targeting and restricting the rights of women and girls.
“The situation is so severe that many Afghans say the situation can be best described as ‘gender apartheid’. Despite this, Taliban officials have insisted the situation of women and girls is an ‘internal’ matter,” the UN experts said.
The experts urged the international community to refrain from normalizing the Taliban’s rule until there are verified improvements in the human rights situation, particularly for women.
“We stress that there should be no move to normalize the de facto authorities, unless and until there are demonstrated, measurable, and independently verified improvements against human rights benchmarks, particularly for women and girls,” they said.
“Any way forward should integrate human rights benchmarks through a principled, inclusive, coordinated and coherent approach, as proposed in the Security Council-mandated Independent Assessment,” they added.
The UN experts also expressed concern about the resurgence of public flogging and other forms of corporal punishment in Afghanistan, emphasizing that these practices violate international laws ratified by Afghanistan.
According to the UN experts, more than 200 people have been subjected to corporal punishment so far this year.
