RASC News Agency: In reaction to the initiative by four Western nations to prosecute the Taliban at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Freedom Front has asserted that, due to the Taliban’s lack of legitimacy, the success of this proposal is unrealistic. The front argued that instead of expecting adherence to human rights by the Taliban, international actors should work towards the recognition of gender apartheid as an established crime. The foreign ministers of Germany, Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands, during the United Nations General Assembly, invoked Article 29 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), urging the Taliban to cease their discriminatory practices against women and comply with the convention’s provisions.
In its statement, the Freedom Front stressed that the international community’s responsibility toward human rights necessitates holding the Taliban accountable for “war crimes and crimes against humanity,” rather than merely requesting compliance with international treaties. The front further argued that “initiating legal proceedings under conditions of occupation by a terrorist group will not only fail to produce positive outcomes but also risks legitimizing the Taliban’s claim to represent the people of Afghanistan in international forums.”
The Western nations warned the Taliban that if restrictions on women are not lifted, they will take legal action at the ICJ. More than twenty countries have supported this initiative. The Freedom Front has urged Western nations to pursue formal recognition of gender apartheid as an international crime. Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, and Canada have emphasized that Afghanistan is accountable under international law for violating its obligations under CEDAW and have called for negotiations with the Taliban in accordance with the convention’s mandates.
These countries have cautioned that if no progress is achieved within a reasonable timeframe, they will escalate the issue to the International Court of Justice. Additionally, they criticized the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan, noting that many are effectively living under “house arrest” and have been deprived of their “human dignity.”
