EU Calls for UN Investigation into Human Rights Violations in Afghanistan
Tawazon – The United Nations Human Rights Council is set to vote on Monday, October 6, on a proposal by the European Union calling for the establishment of an international fact-finding mission to investigate ongoing human rights violation in Afghanistan. If approved, the move could open the door to future criminal prosecutions for abuses committed by both the Taliban and foreign forces.
The EU proposal, expected to receive backing from Western countries, urges the 47 member Council to create an independent fact-finding mission tasked with collecting and preserving evidence of serious violations including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, torture and severe restrictions on women and girls.
According to diplomats in Geneva, this initiative represents one of the strongest forms of UN human rights investigations, comparable in scope and authority to ongoing probes into crimes in Syria and Myanmar.
A European Diplomat, speaking to Reuters said, more than four years after the Taliban’s return to power, there is no sign of improvement inAfghanistan’s human rights situation. The international community cannot remain silent in the face of the Afghan people’s suffering.
If adopted, the mission would directly report to the Human Rights Council, and if necessary, to the UN General Assembly. Its findings could serve as a factual foundation for future investigations by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other judicial bodies.
The Taliban have not yet issued an official response to the EU proposal, though they have previously dismissed international criticism of their policies as “politically motivated and biased”.
According to recent reports from the UN Human Rights Office, since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, hundreds of serious human rights violations have been documented, including executions, arbitrary arrests, and the systematic suppression of women.
Legal experts say the establishment of such a fact-finding mission would be a crucial step toward accountability and ending the impunity of those responsible for war crimes in Afghanistan. However, countries such as China and Pakistan are likely to oppose the proposal.
The official vote is scheduled to take place later today at the UN headquarters in Geneva.
