Publication

Is there any way to hold the #perpetrators of #crimes against #humanity accountable? Today, at the beginning of my International Human Rights Law class with women students inside Afghanistan, I asked how they were doing. One student from #Badghis province, in northwestern #Afghanistan, told us: “Women have completely disappeared from our village. You hardly see any women in the city.” Another student from Herat described how Taliban members confronted women in public despite their efforts to comply with the dress restrictions. She recounted reports of women being #detained in #containers, separated by age, threatened, and held until their families paid money who barely bring food at the table and promised they would follow the imposed dress rules. These are not distant stories. These are the everyday experiences shared by my students. I teach international human rights law, and one question repeatedly comes up in our discussions: Is there any way to hold them accountable? This question is at the heart of my recent article published by IntLawGrrls, where I examine accountability through the International Criminal Court’s Afghanistan investigation and the role of universal jurisdiction when states fail to cooperate with arrest warrants. If Taliban leaders accused of international crimes travel freely through the United States and Europe, while women inside Afghanistan face abduction, detention, and systematic persecution, what does accountability mean? My question to every state is simple: We have evidence. Survivors have spoken. Will you act on that evidence, or will you continue to offer political engagement and safe passage to those accused of international crimes? Justice requires action, not statements. Read my article 👇 t.co/MLmeHYKolO #Afghanistan #ICC #UniversalJurisdiction #InternationalHumanRights #Accountability #GenderPersecution