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In a Pashtu-language article, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Afghan Taliban regime) criticized Australia, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands for their decision to initiate legal action in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the Afghan Taliban rulers for their large-scale violation of the rights of girls and women.
Three of the Western countries involved in the legal action at the ICJ – Australia, Germany, and Canada – have women as foreign ministers. "The Taliban has demonstrated contempt for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan, through a campaign of sustained and systematic oppression," Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said, adding the world cannot "stand by and allow the situation in Afghanistan to become a 'new normal.'"
On September 26, 2024, Afghan Taliban's state-owned Bakhter News Agency (BNA) published a Pashtu-language article titled "Gender Discrimination And Human Rights – In The Courts Of Justice, Not Afghans, But Some Others Must Be Tried."
"These countries have made this announcement [about initiating legal action against the Afghan Taliban government at the ICJ] at a time when they have forgotten their wrongdoings and the atrocities they committed against Afghans during NATO's 20-year occupation of Afghanistan," the Taliban article stated.
Following are excerpts from the article:
"Recently, the foreign ministers of some countries like Australia, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands stated at a press conference in New York that they will file a complaint against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the International Court of Justice due to gender discrimination.
"These countries have made this announcement at a time when they have forgotten their wrongdoings and the atrocities they committed against Afghans during NATO's 20-year occupation of Afghanistan.
"If the world is truly committed to human rights, then first the blood of innocent Afghans should be questioned in the courts of justice. It should first be investigated how NATO forces targeted and martyred civilians in Afghanistan, and the question should also be asked how innocent people spent the sweetest moments of their lives behind the black bars of prisons.
"It is the right of Afghans to seek justice in international courts, but the Islamic Emirate continues to call for engagement with the world. And because the religion of Afghans is Islam, for which they have fought for many years, they desire to provide their people with a life within the framework of Islamic law and maintain relations with the world. And Islam is a comprehensive religion that has no room for discrimination or distinction, and it advocates for equal rights for all men and women.
"As Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, stated in a message on X: such actions and decisions by some countries are an attempt to tarnish the current positive state of Afghanistan. Therefore, I should say that the United Nations should prevent these actions, as such decisions and actions undermine the relations between Afghanistan and the world."
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