Consultative Meeting on Obligation of Afghanistan under International Criminal Court (ICC)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established on July 1, 2002. At the beginning 22 countries of the world supported establishment of the (ICC). By 2003 about a 100 countries of the world signed and ratified the Rome Statute. In 2003 the government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan acceded to the Court and officially signed the Statute. International Criminal Court is a mechanism for prosecuting crimes and securing justice in the international level. The philosophy laid behind establishment of this court is existence of instability and lawlessness in some parts of the world that causes commitment of serious crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. In these countries either government can’t investigate and prosecute these crimes or due to some reasons don’t want to proceed such crimes and secure justice in their respective countries. That is why; the need for establishment of such a court was sensed long ago. Finally, in 2002 the Court was officially launched.

An international coalition of civil society organizations has been established to support ICC. This coalition has a member in almost every member state of the Statute. “Afghanistan Watch” has newly started its activities as the Afghan member of the Coalition for International Criminal Court (CICC). The first activity of Afghanistan Watch was organizing a consultative meeting titled as “Obligations of Afghanistan under ICC” which was held on October 24, 2009 in Roby Hall of the City Center/ Kabul, Afghanistan. The meeting was attended by representatives of Afghanistan justice and judicial sectors, civil society organizations, legal experts and representatives of international human rights organizations.

A full report is available here at:

What you will read in this report is the main points were discussed at the meeting. Also you can see in the annexes the Agenda and texts of three speakers (Dr. Sima Samar, head of AIHRC, Mr. Haleem, head of Taqnin (legislation) department of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and Dr. Haider Allamah, head of law faculty of Kateb Institute of Higher Education and international criminal law expert.)

Printed copies together with DVD of the meeting are available at the office.

Based in Kabul, the Afghanistan Watch focuses on activities that promote justice, respect for human rights and a culture of accountability and transparency in the country. Recognizing the need for greater understanding of the perils and opportunities facing Afghanistan today, the organization aims to conduct in-depth research and publish reports and papers on issues relevant to its goals and values independently or in partnership with other national and international organizations.

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International Relations and Security Network(ISN) / Security Watch
14 December 2009

Middle East Institute Viewpoints: Afghanistan, 1979-2009: In the Grip of Conflict • www.mei.edu
By: Abdul Jalil Benish, director of Afghanistan Watch

Impunity in Afghanistan is like an unwritten law which benefits the wealthiest and most powerful criminals.Read More

Niamatullah Ibrahimi, Co-Founder of Afghanistan Watch writes on The Relevance of the ICC in the Context of Afghanistan in the ICC Monitor, the Journal of the Coalition of the International Criminal Court

The relevance of the ICC has been keenly felt in Afghanistan since 2001. During this period, human rights violations have continued unabated, a culture of impunity and lack of accountability has been further entrenched, and the Afghan state has displayed a chronic lack of commitment to hold accountable those responsible for heinous crimes and massive human rights abuses.
Read More