Human rights defenders attending the third special conference on Afghan women in Spain have called for international action to arrest Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, head of the Taliban’s Supreme Court.
The conference, held on Friday, 12 December, and hosted by Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid, highlighted that Afghanistan ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 2003 without reservations and is therefore legally bound to uphold and implement its provisions.
Participants said that more than four years after the Taliban’s return to power, the group’s policies have led to the systematic exclusion of women and girls from public, educational, professional and political life. They stressed that, given the Taliban’s refusal to engage meaningfully with international demands, concrete legal action at the global level is now required.
In July, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the systematic repression of women. The move was described as part of broader efforts to ensure justice and accountability for human rights violations in Afghanistan.
Conference participants emphasised that enforcement of the warrants would not be possible without practical cooperation from governments.
Citing credible United Nations reports, speakers said there is clear evidence of segregation and the systematic exclusion of women and girls from public life in Afghanistan a situation the UN special rapporteur has described as amounting to crimes against humanity and gender apartheid.
The conference also urged governments to support the formal recognition of gender apartheid as a distinct crime against humanity under international law.
Participants warned that without sustained political will, sufficient financial support and the meaningful participation of victims, accountability efforts would fail and impunity for serious human rights violations would continue.
