KABUL – The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has welcomed the launch of the People’s Tribunal centering testimony of victims and survivors of gender-based persecution by the Taliban as a key step toward accountability.
“Justice can take many forms,” Bennett posted on X, adding “an “all tools” approach must be comprehensive, holistic, and survivor-centered.”
The People’s Tribunal for Women of Afghanistan was announced Thursday by four Afghan civil society groups, including Rawadari, Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization (AHRDO), Organization for Policy Research and Development Studies (DROPS), and Human Rights Defenders Plus (HRD+).
The tribunal will operate under the auspices of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT), an independent international civil society court that investigates and exposes serious human rights violations when formal justice systems fail.
Organizers say the effort aims to break the cycle of impunity surrounding Taliban abuses, particularly systematic oppression of women and girls.
A team of four Afghan prosecutors, specialized in international criminal law and gender-based violence, is preparing a formal indictment against Taliban leaders. They are supported by legal experts and an evidence collection unit.
The hearings will take place from October 8 to 10 in Madrid, Spain, with the support of the Madrid Bar Association. An international panel of judges will preside, with the lineup to be announced in the coming weeks. Proceedings will be broadcast live.
Women and girls from Afghanistan will give testimonies. Experts, rights defenders, and legal professionals will also take part.
A final judgment is expected in December 2025.
The tribunal will examine the Taliban’s gender-based persecution as a violation of international law, and as actions that contradict Islamic principles.
Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban have barred women from education, employment, and virtually all spheres of public life.
In March, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani for gender-based crimes against humanity.
