Soludo Calls For Unity In Building Nigeria

Rights groups around the world have denounced the Taliban for imposing severe restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, identifying these measures as gender-based persecution, which constitutes a grave crime against humanity under international law.  

 

Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in a new report shed light on the Taliban's crackdown on the rights of Afghan women, outlining the alarming prevalence of "imprisonment, enforced disappearance, torture, and other ill-treatment" suffered by women and girls. This report highlights the possibility that these actions by the Taliban may amount to gender persecution, a crime that falls within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

 

Secretary General of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard describes the situation in Afghanistan as nothing short of "a war against women," emphasising the international community's urgent responsibility to dismantle the oppressive system of gender-based oppression and persecution that has taken hold.

 

The Taliban's ascent to power in Afghanistan occurred in August 2021, coinciding with the withdrawal of United States and NATO troops, marking the end of a two-decade-long war.

 

Despite initial assurances of a more moderate approach, the Taliban swiftly implemented a series of restrictions upon seizing control, targeting women and girls with particular severity. These measures encompassed exclusion from public spaces, limited employment opportunities, and an outright ban on education beyond the sixth grade for girls.

 

The echoes of the previous Taliban regime in the late 1990s, with its stringent interpretation of Islamic law, reverberated through these newly imposed restrictions.

 

The harsh edicts imposed by the Taliban administration have sparked international outrage, leading to a global outcry against the group. The international community, including the United Nations, has refrained from extending official recognition to the Taliban administration. This lack of recognition amplifies the urgency for collective action to address the egregious human rights violations being committed.

 

The report produced by Amnesty International and ICJ, titled "The Taliban's War on Women: The Crime Against Humanity of Gender Persecution in Afghanistan," cites the ICC statute, which explicitly recognizes gender-based persecution as a crime against humanity.

 

Santiago A Canton, Secretary General of the ICJ, emphasizes the gravity and systematic nature of the Taliban's actions, asserting that they undoubtedly meet the criteria for qualifying as a crime against humanity through gender persecution.

 

Both Amnesty International and ICJ urgently call upon the International Criminal Court to incorporate this crime into their ongoing investigation of the situation in Afghanistan, urging swift and decisive legal action. Furthermore, they implore countries to exercise universal jurisdiction and hold the Taliban accountable for their actions under the principles of international law.

 

The report further exposes the Taliban's deliberate targeting of women and girls involved in peaceful protests, often subjecting them to arbitrary detention, forced disappearances, and torture while in custody. The Taliban has additionally coerced these individuals into signing "confessions" or "agreements" that prohibit them from engaging in future protests.

 

Amnesty International's documentation has revealed distressing cases of women and girls being forcibly married to Taliban members. Those who refuse such marriages are subjected to further abuse, including abduction, intimidation, threats, and torture.

 

Shockingly, specific instances are highlighted, such as the case of a 15-year-old girl forced into marriage against her family's wishes in the northeastern province of Takhar in August 2021. Another distressing incident involved a 33-year-old female journalist and social activist who was forcibly married to a Taliban commander the following month.

 

Santiago A Canton boldly emphasises that ‘’we simply cannot afford to fail the women and girls of Afghanistan..”

 

 The impact of the Taliban's actions extends beyond the realm of gender-based persecution, as they have also targeted journalists, the LGBTQ community, rights activists, and ethnic minorities.