UN Council Approves Mechanism To Probe Afghan Rights Abuses

Malek Sitez, a legal and international relations expert, said the decision represents a major step towards ensuring justice and oversight in Afghanistan. “This initiative is designed to bring accountability for perpetrators of human rights violations and marks a significant step in monitoring human rights in the country,” he told Afghanistan International.

According to Sitez, the measure, long demanded by Afghan human rights activists, was adopted by a majority vote of the Human Rights Council.

Explaining the framework, Sitez said: “A specialised working group will be created to bring key human-rights issues in Afghanistan under the UN’s high-standard protection framework. It will monitor and document violations, investigate crimes against humanity, and refer them to international courts such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).”

Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, also welcomed the move, describing it as “an important step that could break the decades-long cycle of impunity.” She added:

“If it only makes one local commander think twice before committing an abuse because there’s now a case against him, it will have been worth it.”

Sitez noted that the mandate of the current UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, does not authorise him to investigate or document war crimes, whereas the new mechanism explicitly includes that power.