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HRW urges ICC to prosecute women’s rights violations in Afghanistan
Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a report on Friday called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute what it said was crime against humanity of gender persecution against women and girls in Afghanistan.
The report said that since taking over the country in August 2021, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) have imposed laws and policies intended to deny women and girls throughout the country their fundamental rights because of their gender.
“Coordinated support by concerned governments is needed to bring the Taliban leaders responsible to justice,” Elizabeth Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch
HRW noted that ICC defines crimes against humanity as a range of prohibited acts committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population, with knowledge of the attack.
HRW said that its research on Afghanistan since 2021 has found that the crime against humanity of persecution targeting women and girls has been imposed through various written or announced decrees. “These decrees have placed severe restrictions on freedom of movement, expression, and association; prohibitions on virtually all employment; bans on secondary and higher education; and permitted arbitrary arrests and violations of the right to liberty,” the report said.
HRW noted that Afghanistan is a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. On October 31, 2022, the court authorized the ICC prosecutor to resume its investigation into the Afghanistan situation, which was first authorized in 2020.
“The International Criminal Court’s investigation in Afghanistan could provide a path toward accountability for the crime against humanity of gender persecution,” Evenson said.
“Governments should ensure that the court has the resources and needed cooperation so that its prosecutor can investigate this crime alongside other grave rights violations committed.”
This comes as the Islamic Emirate has rejected claims of rights violations against women and girls, saying it is committed to ensuring their rights based on Sharia law.
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Muttaqi and Iranian representative discuss expansion of bilateral relations
Amir Khan Muttaqi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met on Wednesday with Mohammad Reza Bahrami, a representative of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the sidelines of the eighth meeting of the Moscow Format and discussed ways to expand bilateral relations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two sides exchanged views on Afghanistan-Iran relations, regional developments, and ways to strengthen mutual cooperation between the two countries.
Muttaqi expressed appreciation for Iran’s engagement with Afghanistan and its constructive participation in regional meetings, emphasizing the need to further expand relations between Kabul and Tehran.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Reza Bahrami stressed the importance of relations between the two countries and shared Iran’s views on regional cooperation, stability, and expanding economic engagement between Afghanistan and Iran.
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British special forces could face prosecution over alleged Afghanistan crimes
The UK Ministry of Defence identified material suggesting that British service personnel may have committed “serious offences” in Afghanistan, including possible murder, manslaughter and grievous bodily harm, a High Court hearing in London was told.
The information was referred by UK Special Forces (UKSF) to the Defence Serious Crime Command earlier this year, The Independent reported.
According to the court, any criminal investigation into the allegations has been paused pending the outcome of the Afghanistan Inquiry.
The inquiry, chaired by Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, is examining allegations that UK special forces unlawfully killed people during operations in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013, as well as claims of a subsequent cover-up.
It is also investigating allegations of inadequate investigations by the Royal Military Police.
The latest court proceedings relate to a senior British soldier, identified only as Witness IIA126, who is challenging the inquiry’s decision to restrict his and his lawyers’ access to certain evidence.
His lawyer, Kate Grange KC, argued that the restrictions had prevented the soldier from reviewing evidence concerning an allegation that a person was shot in the head while possibly asleep during a “deliberate detention operation.”
The inquiry is opposing the legal challenge, arguing that the restrictions were necessary to protect the identities of witnesses whose evidence was considered highly sensitive.
Jonathan Glasson KC, representing the inquiry, told the court that the discovery of material potentially indicating serious offences did not mean that any particular individual would necessarily face criminal charges.
The inquiry is expected to continue its examination of the allegations, with a written judgment on the latest legal challenge due at a later date.
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Afghan agriculture minister in Tashkent for international forum
Afghanistan’s Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Attaullah Omari, has arrived in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, to attend an international forum on food security and sustainable development.
Omari is visiting Tashkent at the invitation of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Agriculture and is scheduled to participate in the Global Technical Forum for Landlocked Countries on Food Security and Sustainable Development Goals, being held from October 7 to 8.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture said the visit will provide an opportunity to discuss expanding bilateral and regional cooperation with Uzbekistan in agriculture, irrigation, livestock, trade and investment.
The Afghan delegation is also expected to meet officials and representatives from participating countries to discuss agricultural exports, trade, investment opportunities, and the exchange of technical knowledge and expertise.
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