Following the referral of Afghanistan's case to the International Criminal Court, the court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, announced that he would soon request arrest warrants for Taliban officials.
He said that investigations into human rights violations, particularly women's rights, in Afghanistan were ongoing.
The 23rd session of the Assembly of States Parties began today in The Hague, Netherlands. The session is scheduled for December 2-7, 2024.
"I can confirm that with the excellent efforts of the team who have been working steadily on this issue, we will soon announce requests for an arrest warrant in the Afghanistan Situation File," Karim Khan said in a statement at the meeting on Monday.
He did not elaborate on the details of the sentence.
Last week, Chile, Costa Rica, Spain, France, Luxembourg and Mexico referred the case of Afghanistan, especially the violation of women's rights in this country, to the International Criminal Court. The International Criminal Court also confirmed that it had received the case.
The International Criminal Court recently issued an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
The court is also expected to issue arrest warrants for some Taliban leaders involved in "systematic violence" against women and "the prevailing gender apartheid in Afghanistan".
What does the court order mean?
Fawad Pouya, an international law researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, told Afghanistan International that with the referral of Afghanistan's case by six members of the International Criminal Court, the court's investigation into Afghanistan has resumed in earnest.
According to him, the new investigation is a continuation of the court's previous investigation, which first began in March 2020. He added that the new investigation supports and expands on the previous case.
The international law researcher also clarified, "The arrest warrant is not only directed at the Taliban, but former members of the government of the Republic of Afghanistan may also be prosecuted."
The referral of cases by various countries puts additional pressure on the ICC to make a decision and announce it as soon as possible, he said.
Karim Khan stressed that his office has conducted an independent, impartial and robust investigation into the situation in Afghanistan. The investigation also includes allegations of systematic discrimination and harassment against women and girls.
The investigation demonstrates the ICC's commitment to pursuing and holding accountable crimes against humanity and gender abuse, the statement said. The ICC has also welcomed the determination of member states to address these crimes and support ongoing investigations.
The Taliban has not previously responded to the referral of the group's human rights violation case to the Hague court.
