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full screen “The Taliban have engaged in a campaign of sustained and systematic repression,” said Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Picture taken on Wednesday. Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP/TT
Afghanistan’s Taliban government may be taken to the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ) over its treatment of women.
This is announced by Australia, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands, which jointly initiate the legal proceedings.
– The Taliban have shown their contempt for human rights and basic freedoms for girls and women, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters at the UN General Assembly in New York.
She describes the legal initiative, led by Germany, as “unprecedented”.
The four countries intend to claim that Afghanistan is flouting the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, to which the country is a signatory. Wong urges Afghanistan to participate in the negotiations under the convention.
Should negotiations fail, the dispute may eventually proceed to the ICJ.
The Taliban have implemented a strict interpretation of Islamic law since retaking power in Afghanistan in August 2021, progressively cracking down on women’s rights.
Women have been excluded from education beyond the sixth form and from a wide range of occupations. As recently as a couple of weeks ago, they were forbidden to leave home except “out of necessity” and to raise their voices outside their own home.
More than 20 countries issued a statement in connection with the UN summit in New York in which they support the four countries’ legal actions against Afghanistan.