People’s Tribunal On Afghan Women To Announce Final Judgment
A people’s tribunal examining abuses against Afghan women is set to deliver its final judgment on Thursday regarding the Taliban’s repression of women and girls.
The tribunal convened in October, where four prosecutors and more than 20 Afghan witnesses presented evidence on bans on education and employment, arbitrary detentions and the suppression of women’s protests.
The People’s Tribunal on Afghanistan’s Women was held over three days in Madrid, during which prosecutors and Afghan women and girls outlined allegations against the Taliban based on documented reports.
The accusations included gender-based crimes, denial of the right to education, exclusion from political and civic participation and the deprivation of women’s right to work. At the close of the three-day hearings, the judges said the voices of Afghan women had been heard and warned that the Taliban should not be normalised.
The tribunal’s final judgment is scheduled to be announced on Thursday in The Hague, the Netherlands, in the presence of Rashida Manjoo, Araceli García del Soto, Elisenda Calvet Martínez, Emilio Ramírez Matos, Ghizaal Haress, Kalpana Sharma, Mai El-Sadany and Marina Forti.
UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls Reem Alsalem and other experts from various fields are also expected to speak at the event.
Women and girls who testified before the tribunal say they hope the ruling will help increase global attention and pressure to hold the Taliban accountable.
