A coalition of civil society organizations launched a court to advocate for Afghan women.
In response to four years of systematic oppression of women by the Taliban, a group of Afghan civil society organizations, with the support of international organizations, launched the “People’s Court for Afghan Women”; a symbolic but powerful move to reflect women’s advocacy on a global level.
Shahrzad Akbar, the former head of the Afghan Human Rights Commission, announced the launch of the court on Thursday, July 31, describing it as a step to document the Taliban’s crimes and pressure the international community to end the silence.
According to a statement, the court was established by a coalition of four Afghan civil society organizations in cooperation with the Permanent People’s Court. Its goal is to create a platform for Afghan women’s voices to be heard and document human rights violations against institutions and countries that have directly or implicitly supported the Taliban.
The People’s Court has warned that the process of suppressing women, excluding them from the public sphere, and repeatedly violating their basic rights is not only continuing, but has also gained apparent legitimacy with the acceptance of Taliban diplomats by countries such as Germany and signs of political recognition of the group by Russia.
While the International Criminal Court has already issued arrest warrants for Taliban leaders, including Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, on charges of crimes against humanity, Afghan civil society is trying to bring justice back to the international arena through such initiatives.
