Germany sees sharp rise in Afghan women asylum seekers amid Taliban repression
Germany has reported a sharp increase in asylum applications from Afghan women, driven by worsening conditions under Taliban rule and recent European Union rulings recognizing gender-based persecution, Khaama Press reported.
The ICC’s Arrest Warrants Against Taliban Leaders Are Historic
At a moment when global progress on human rights often seems to be faltering, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a long-overdue step forward.
Under Trump, U.S. returns to treating violence against women as a ‘private matter’
The U.S. has been waffling for decades over whether women have a right to refugee protection when fleeing gender-based violence. Under different administrations, the Department of Justice has established and reversed precedents, issued and repealed rulings. But the latest flip-flop by the Trump administration is not just another toggle between rules.
Bennett Backs People’s Tribunal Seeking Accountability for Taliban’s Gender Persecution
The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has welcomed the launch of the People’s Tribunal centering testimony of victims and survivors of gender-based persecution by the Taliban as a key step toward accountability.
ICC issues warrant for Taliban’s supreme leader for persecution of women
The international criminal court has issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity for the persecution of women and girls.
Nine countries back ICC request for arrest warrants against Taliban leaders
Nine countries, including France and UK, in a joint statement ahead of the UNSC meeting on Monday expressed support for an International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s request to issue arrest warrants for Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and the Taliban’s chief justice, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, citing systematic gender-based persecution in Afghanistan.
Landmark ICC Arrest Warrant Application Seeks to Hold the Taliban Accountable for Homophobic and Transphobic Persecution
“I was beaten and harassed by the Taliban many times just for being gay,” said Azar, a 20-year-old gay man in Kabul, whose name is changed for his safety. In one of those incidents in mid-2023, Taliban members beat him in the street, then arrested and tortured him for days in a hidden, informal holding space.
ICC Prosecutors Seek Warrants Against Taliban for Gender Persecution—Afghan Human Rights Advocates Call for Governments to Support Justice for Victims
The International Criminal Court Prosecutor announced it is seeking warrants against Taliban leaders for gender persecution committed against women, girls and–for the first time in its history–LGBTQI+ people. The Gender Persecution in Afghanistan Accountability Working Group (GPWG) is a dedicated platform towards achieving justice, visibility and accountability for gender-based crimes in Afghanistan. Read GPWG’s press release to learn what the warrants mean for Afghan feminist human rights defenders and allies.
Taliban deputy tells leader there is no excuse for education bans on Afghan women and girls
A senior Taliban figure has urged the group’s leader to scrap education bans on Afghan women and girls, saying there is no excuse for them, in a rare public rebuke of government policy.
Women arrested by Taliban for begging report rape and killings in Afghan jails
Destitute Afghan women arrested for begging under draconian new Taliban laws have spoken of “brutal” rapes and beatings in detention.
Over the past few months, many women said they had been targeted by Taliban officials and detained under anti-begging laws passed this year. While in prison, they claim they were subjected to sexual abuse, torture and forced labour, and witnessed children being beaten and abused.