55. Women of Afghanistan (Madrid , October 8-10 2025)

The Tribunal met in Madrid from 8 to 10 October 2025 at the request of four human rights organisations – Rawadari, the Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organisation (AHRDO), the Organisation for Policy Research and Development Studies (DROPS) and Human Rights Defender Plus (HRD+) – to examine the situation of human rights violations in Afghanistan. In particular, the requesting organisations asked the Tribunal to consider the crime against humanity of gender persecution, given the continued violation by the de facto Taliban authorities of Afghanistan’s human rights obligations under a multitude of international conventions. In line with its mission, the PPT session examined the systemic nature of the violations, their various manifestations and the root causes of their persistence. On 10 October 2025, the panel of judges issued a preliminary statement outlining the evidence and testimonies provided by the prosecution, and setting out an initial list of recommendations. In its final judgement, presented on 11 December 2025 at the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, the PPT panel of judges recognised gender persecution as a crime against humanity committed by the Taliban as a group. Regarding the charge of gender apartheid, the panel of judges clarified that, while this crime has not yet been codified in international law, the category could evolve to address the need for justice for Afghan women, as it could fall under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court when referring to “other inhumane acts”, Art. 7(1)(k).