The UN Human Rights Council should establish an accountabiliy mechanism for gross human rights violations in Afghansitan, in particular against women and girls, urged today the ICJ.
The statement, delivered during the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the situation of the human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, reads as follows:
“Mr President,
The ICJ deplores the absolute lack of accountability for gross human rights violations, including crimes under international law, occurring at a systematic and widespread level in Afghanistan, especially against women and girls and ethnic and religious minorities.
The Taliban are stripping Afghan women of their civil, political, economic, cultural, and social rights and freedoms. The Taliban’s discriminatory edicts and practices, enforced by brutal displays of public violence, are akin to a sort of ‘gender apartheid.’
The mandate of the Special Rapporteur remains necessary to monitor and report on the human rights situation and must be renewed, including with a specific eye on accountability.
As documented by the ICJ, the rule of law has essentially disappeared in Afghanistan and the judiciary, already weak, has been dismantled, with judges and lawyers facing persecution and intimidation.
The Council and its members have so far failed to provide an appropriate response to the cries for accountability by Afghan and international human rights groups.
It is time to take action and establish a mechanism dedicated to documenting and seeking accountability for the gross human rights violation and abuses, especially those committed against women and girls, alongside the mandate of the Special Rapporteur.
I thank you.”
Contact:
Massimo Frigo, ICJ UN Representative, e: massimo.frigo(a)icj.org, t: +41797499949