On 6 October the Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a long-sought resolution (60/2) to create an independent investigative mechanism (IIM) to advance accountability for past and ongoing international crimes and grave human rights violations committed in Afghanistan. Led by the European Union, the resolution was adopted by consensus (“without a vote”).
The IIM is mandated to collect and preserve evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other grave human rights violations. While the IIM is expected to focus on the ongoing crime of gender persecution, its scope includes grave violations and crimes committed in Afghanistan by other perpetrators, including officials of the former government, non-State armed actors, and members of international forces.
The IIM’s mandate includes identification of suspected perpetrators and preparation of documentation to support prosecutions in national and international courts. Afghanistan became a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC on 10 February 2003. Resolution 60/2 also extended the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, which complements the mandate of the IIM.
LRWC has been among numerous NGOs that have been advocating for an IIM for Afghanistan since 2022. See LRWC’s advocacy on Afghanistan.
