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KABUL (SW): At least 180 complaints have been filed to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on behalf of half a million victims of war from Afghanistan.
Ehsan Qaneh, a researcher on international law, and a member of the Transitional Justice Coordination Group (TJCG) in Afghanistan, told Salam Watandar that among 200 complaints only one which represents 20 families does not seek a trial in Afghanistan. Based on the information on hand, the ICC is willing to address the victims’ complaints, Ehsan Qaneh added.
Crimes to be investigated include crimes against humanity and war crimes such as murder, imprisonment, targeting humanitarian workers, use of child soldiers and carrying out executions without due process in formal legal system.
The ICC intervenes in criminal cases if it falls under the Court’s founding treaty, called the Rome Statute which grants the ICC jurisdiction over four main crimes such as the crimes of genocide, the crimes against humanity, the war crimes, and the crime of aggression, however, the ICC can also intervene if the State is unable or unwilling genuinely to carry out the investigation and prosecute the perpetrators, and also when the victims demand for the Court’s presence in their country due to the severity of crimes.
According to the members of the TJCG in Afghanistan, the intervention of ICC will end the culture of impunity in Afghanistan, and on the other hand, this will be a warning to all terrorist groups and the warlords which continue to violate the international law.
The ICC has started its activities in Afghanistan two months ago. The purpose of the Court’s trail in the country is to investigate the crimes against the humanity and war crimes in Afghanistan since 2003.
ENDS
