On Monday, three judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced the resumption of the investigation by the ICC prosecutor’s office into atrocities in Afghanistan.
The investigation had been placed on hold for more than two years at the request of the previous Afghan government because of its own investigations into suspected war crimes.
In August 2021, the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan. The next month, prosecutor Karim Khan requested permission to resume the investigation.
According to Monday’s ICC decision, prosecutor Khan can again move forward with the investigation as “Afghanistan is not presently carrying out genuine investigations and that it has not acted in a manner that shows an interest in pursuing the Deferral Request.”
The news was welcomed by international human rights organizations, particularly Human Rights Watch (HRW). “The International Criminal Court (ICC) should address grave international crimes committed by all sides when it continues its investigation into the situation in Afghanistan,” HRW said in a statement on Monday.
“The ICC offers a rare opportunity to advance justice in a country where accountability is completely absent,” Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at HRW is quoted, saying in the statement. “This investigation needs to address serious crimes by all sides to the conflict, including US forces, to bring justice even when the most powerful nations are involved.”
