Richard Bennett: Sanctions on the international criminal court undermine investigations into crimes against humanity in Afghanistan

Jumhuri Mudara: Richard Bennett, the UN Special rapporter on human rights for Afghanistan, has stated that sanctions against the international criminal court (ICC) weaken this institution.

He also emphasized that the ICC plays a crucial and vital role in addressing crimes against humanity in Afghanistan and is one of the few avenues available for investigating such crimes in the country.

These remarks come after the white house announced on Monday that Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor, and his family had been sanctioned.

The ICC prosecutor was sanctioned for bringing charges against the prime minister of Israel and issuing an arrest warrant against him.

This action by the U.S. government has sparked widespread reactions.

UN experts, in a statement, condemned Trump’s decision, calling it an attack on the rule of law at a global level.

UN experts, highlighting the financial restrictions included in this order, stated that this move by the U.S. “undermines the ICC and its investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity worldwide, especially against women and children.

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporter on human rights for Afghanistan, stressed that the ICC is “one of the few ways to investigate crimes on a global scale”.

Additionally, UN experts have asserted that Trump’s order against the ICC, in reality, empowers war criminals and, through this directive, deprives thousands of victims worldwide, including children and women, of justice.

Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor sanctioned by the U.S., had previously requested an arrest warrant for the leader of the Taliban regime, and the Taliban's Supreme court.

After months of investigations, he urged the ICC to issue arrest warrants for Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban leader, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the Taliban’s Supreme court, on charges of gender-based violence and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan.