Afghanistan Women's History Transformation Movement Calls for Taliban's Trial at The Hague

Zan News: The Afghanistan Women's History Transformation Movement has held a protest rally and issued a statement calling on the international community and the United Nations to bring the Taliban before the International Court of Justice at The Hague and to formally recognize gender apartheid in Afghanistan. This action was taken in response to a recent United Nations report on the dire situation of Afghan women and reports of "sexual assaults" by the Taliban against imprisoned women.

In the statement released on Saturday (November 2), it highlights that, following the Taliban's return to power, widespread repression against various sectors of Afghan society began, with Afghan women resisting the "illegitimate" Taliban government despite severe restrictions. Afghan women’s protests have repeatedly been met with violence, with several protesters detained, imprisoned, and even "killed."

The statement adds, "Women’s rights activists and protesting women have reported instances of sexual and physical torture in Taliban prisons since the beginning, sharing painful accounts of their experiences. Yet despite these revelations, such atrocities have continued to increase daily."

The movement also addresses the psychological toll of this violence, stating, "Many girls who were released from Taliban prisons have suffered severe psychological trauma and, in some cases, resorted to suicide due to the physical and mental torture they endured, underscoring the secret torture and human rights abuses faced by women."

The statement points to the Taliban’s severe restrictions on women’s rights, including the ban on hearing women's voices by other women, describing these actions as a "disgrace and shame for Afghanistan's history."

Additionally, the Afghanistan Women's History Transformation Movement accuses the Taliban of exploiting the country's financial and commercial resources, noting that over the past three years, the Taliban have imposed heavy taxes on citizens and businesses without adhering to legal frameworks. Despite this, the Taliban "have been unable to pay the salaries of retirees, teachers, and government employees, while claiming to adhere to Sharia law and keeping people in the dark about societal realities."

In closing, the movement urges the international community and human rights organizations, particularly the United Nations, to hear the voices of the Afghan people, especially women, and to take immediate action.

According to the statement, the movement, along with millions of Afghans, demands justice and the trial of the Taliban at The Hague to prevent further oppression of the Afghan people and seeks the criminalization of gender apartheid in Afghanistan.

These calls come following a report by Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, which highlighted sexual abuse of female prisoners in Taliban detention centers.