Human Rights | Rawadari and 20-plus civil society groups say the ICC's separate Afghanistan investigation could complicate victims' access to justice and erode trust.

ACW | October 29, 2026 — Rawadari and more than 20 other civil society groups said in a joint statement on Thursday that the International Criminal Court's decision to open a separate Afghanistan investigation could complicate victims' access to justice.

"The legal and practical consequences of this separation require fuller explanation," the statement said. The signatories asked the court to explain how the separation would serve victims' interests.

Pre-Trial Chamber II directed the Office of the Prosecutor on July 15 to open a separate investigation into Afghanistan. It rejected the prosecutor's requests for clarification and reconsideration on September 3. On October 20, a majority of the ICC Presidency assigned "Situation in Afghanistan II" to the same chamber.

The groups say victims were not notified of the decision and had no chance to be heard. They warn that crimes committed before August 2021 by the Taliban, international forces and the former government's security forces could be pushed further aside.

The statement also welcomes the public release of four arrest warrants against senior Taliban officials. The court says there are reasonable grounds to believe they bear responsibility for persecution on gender grounds; the allegations are not findings of guilt.

Published reports carry no response from the Taliban authorities.

Background: Earlier, activist Zubaida Akbar told a UN women's forum that the Taliban have issued 141 decrees against women. The statement says victims and civil society groups have taken "considerable risks" to engage with the court.

Why it matters: Rawadari says the separation could undermine victims' trust in the justice process, which is central to pursuing rights violations in Afghanistan.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Source: Rawadari — Joint civil society statement on the separation of the Afghanistan investigation by the ICC; Amu TV — report on the statement

Photo: Amu TV (file photo)