ICC Prioritises Gender-Based Crimes in Afghanistan
Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), met with a number of members of the Afghan Women's Coalition.
Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), met with a number of members of the Afghan Women's Coalition.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) said that the Office of the Prosecutor, in cooperation with victims and civil society, has prioritised action on "gender-based crimes in Afghanistan”.
The ICC on Friday, December 6, released a video of Karim Khan's meeting with members of the Afghan Women's Coalition on social media platform X.
The statement said that Prosecutor Karim Khan, along with the victims and civil society, has prioritised action on gender-based crimes in Afghanistan.
Khan expressed hope that the decisions of the Hague court would "alleviate some of the pain of Afghan women".
Referring to human rights violations in Afghanistan this week, Karim Khan said that he would soon apply for an arrest warrant for those involved in human rights violations.
Recently, 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 in The Hague. The International Criminal Court also confirmed that it had received the case.
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".
In a meeting with Afghan women activists in The Hague, Karim Khan once again referred to the countries' requests, saying, "Soon you will hear news about your country”.
Human rights activist Horia Musadiq was quoted as saying that the chief prosecutor of the Hague court said, "He hopes that the court's decisions can alleviate some of the pain and suffering of the Afghan people, especially Afghan women, and that those responsible for the crimes will be brought to justice."
The Hague prosecutor has refused to name the Taliban, but the group has a case that Karim Khan and his team are handling because of its policies that have completely deprived Afghan women of their rights.
Past Crimes
On Thursday, a number of Afghan activists met with Karim Khan. Horia Musadiq, one of the participants, told Afghanistan International that during the meeting, she called for an investigation into the crimes and violence of the past 20 years.
She said that in order to investigate the crimes committed over the past 20 years, whether by the Taliban or by NATO and US forces in Afghanistan, a special tribunal should be established similar to the war crimes tribunal in the former Yugoslavia.
Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, also posted a photo of Afghan women activists meeting with Karim Khan at the International Criminal Court (ICC) headquarters in The Hague on Thursday, and wrote, "The prosecutor announced that he would soon request an arrest warrant."
Afghan women's activists are in the corridors of the criminal court seeking to hold the perpetrators of serious crimes in Afghanistan accountable, she said.
Despite repeated calls by the international community, human rights organizations, and especially Afghan women to lift restrictions imposed on women in Afghanistan, the Taliban has increased these restrictions over the past three years.
After banning girls from studying above the sixth grade, the Taliban banned the education of girls and women in higher education centres and universities, and in the latest move, closed the only remaining educational institution, namely medical institutes, to girls.
