Afghan Foreign Minister Meets ICC Prosecutors

The ICC has started an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Afghanistan since 2003 by all sides in the conflict.

In a joint statement, Afghan foreign minister and prosecutors from the International Criminal Court said they have met in The Hague to discuss the ICC’s war crimes investigation.

Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar together with the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor say they have made encouraging progress in charting the way forward to ensure that no crime goes unpunished

Government forces, the Taliban, other armed groups, and US-led forces have all been accused of playing a role in the in the conflict

Shortly after the ICC announced its investigation in March 2020, the Afghan government said it is conducting its own probe into some of the same alleged crimes and asked the international court to defer its investigation.

Under ICC rules, the court only has the power to prosecute crimes committed on the territory of member states when they are unwilling or unable to do so themselves.

In the joint statement on Sunday, Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said she would continue to work with the government of Afghanistan on “how justice may best be served through joint collaborative efforts” while still fulfilling her own duties under the tribunal’s rules.

Afghanistan’s Attorney General Zabihullah Karimullah, who also attended, said that prosecutors had discussed information-sharing and cooperation.

Bensouda is still assessing Afghanistan’s deferral request. In September 2020, the United States imposed sanctions on Bensouda for investigating whether American forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan.