KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A group of women’s rights activists, human rights defenders, and members of Afghan civil society organizations have sent an open letter to the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging it to prosecute all senior Taliban leaders and issue arrest warrants against them.
In the letter, seen by KabulNow on Monday, the signatories also called for the recognition of crimes against Afghan women as crimes against humanity and gender apartheid.
The letter further demands that “sexual crimes” and “organized violence” against women—including rape, forced marriage, and sexual slavery—be classified as “tools of political oppression” and that perpetrators face the harshest punishments.
The activists stated that over the past three years, the Taliban have systematically oppressed women through restrictive laws, regulations, and violent actions, in blatant violation of international laws, including the Rome Statute, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The signatories also called for increased political and economic pressure on the Taliban to lift restrictions against women, implement protective programs for women’s rights defenders, and facilitate their safe exit from Afghanistan.
They stressed that the situation of Afghan women constitutes a human rights crisis and an organized crime against humanity that must not be ignored.
This appeal follows ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan’s recent request for arrest warrants against Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani for “criminal responsibility” in crimes against humanity, particularly gender-based persecution.
Khan stated that further arrest warrants for other senior Taliban officials would be pursued soon.
Women’s rights activists and human rights organizations have welcomed this move, calling it a step toward justice in Afghanistan.
