KABUL — A coalition of Afghan civil society organizations on Thursday announced the launch of the People’s Tribunal for Women of Afghanistan, an international justice initiative that will investigate and expose gender persecution under Taliban rule.
The tribunal will be held under the framework of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT), an international opinion tribunal based in Rome that has held over 50 sessions globally on human rights violations, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Scheduled for October 8–10 in Madrid, the tribunal will hear testimonies from Afghan women and girls who have faced systematic repression since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. Witnesses will include survivors, legal experts, and human rights advocates from around the world. The hearings will be livestreamed internationally.
According to the organizing coalition, Afghan women are experiencing one of the most extreme forms of gender-based oppression in the world. Girls are banned from secondary and university education, barred from work, and excluded from public life. Many now live in isolation and fear, with no access to justice or protection.
The tribunal is being organized by Rawadari, Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization (AHRDO), Organization for Policy Research and Development Studies (DROPS), and Human Rights Defenders Plus (HRD+). Since December 2024, these organizations have conducted consultations with survivors, Islamic scholars, international lawyers, and civil society groups both inside and outside Afghanistan.
An indictment is currently being prepared by four Afghan prosecutors with expertise in international criminal law and gender-based violence, supported by an evidence team and an international expert panel. The final judgment will be delivered by a panel of international judges, with the verdict expected in December 2025.
The launch follows growing concern among Afghan activists and international human rights organizations over the normalization of Taliban rule, especially as some states, including Russia, has formally recognized the group. Afghan civil society leaders have criticized the international community’s muted response to the regime’s violations.
While welcoming the International Criminal Court’s recent arrest warrants for senior Taliban officials over gender persecution, organizers of the tribunal say global action remains insufficient. They argue the tribunal provides an independent and people-led process to document violations, amplify Afghan women’s voices, and push for accountability.
“The silence of other states while crimes against humanity are taking place is a crime itself,” one of the prosecutors said. “This tribunal will make the world listen to Afghan women and girls.”
Rokhsar, an Afghan activist participating in the initiative, added: “We do not want mere sympathy from the international community. We want action, and this is the time for action.”
