Sydney, September 26, 2024 – The Taliban’s severe restrictions and unlawful crackdown on the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan have drawn international condemnation and could lead to legal action at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists, are calling for an investigation into the Taliban’s actions as potential crimes against humanity.

Since taking control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed draconian measures that severely limit the freedoms of women and girls. These measures include bans on secondary and higher education, restrictions on movement, and prohibitions on most forms of employment. Women and girls have also faced arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and torture for violating these oppressive rules¹².

The international community has expressed growing concern over the systematic nature of these abuses, which aim to subjugate and marginalize women and girls across the country. Legal experts argue that these actions meet the criteria for gender persecution under Article 7 (1) (h) of the Rome Statute of the ICC².

Calls for accountability are intensifying, with advocates urging the ICC to include gender persecution in its ongoing investigation into the situation in Afghanistan. There is also a push for other states to exercise universal jurisdiction to bring Taliban members responsible for these crimes to justice².

The situation remains dire for Afghan women and girls, who continue to suffer under the Taliban’s repressive regime. The international community’s response will be crucial in addressing these human rights violations and ensuring justice for the victims.