Fawzia Koofi, former parliament member of Afghanistan, on Wednesday expressed her support for the new effort by Germany, Canada, the Netherlands and Australia to hold the Taliban accountable for violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
In a post on X, Koofi emphasized that CEDAW is not the only global legal framework the Taliban has breached since taking control of Afghanistan.
She called on international organizations to take further steps, including the formal criminalization of gender apartheid, to restore global trust in the international legal system and protect vulnerable populations.
Koofi’s remarks came after Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, and Canada warned that they would bring the Taliban to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague for their egregious violations of women’s and girls’ rights in Afghanistan.
The German news agency DPA, citing a draft statement from New York, reported that these countries had urged the Taliban to adhere to their international obligations and cease the systemic violation of women’s rights.
According to the report, the Taliban will face prosecution for their severe human rights violations against women and girls in Afghanistan.
As a signatory to CEDAW, Afghanistan remains bound by its obligations, and the countries involved have formally called on the Taliban to honor these commitments and end their repression of women.
