Foreign Ministers of Canada and the Netherlands: We will not rest until Afghan women are free
Bayan News – The foreign ministers of Canada and the Netherlands, referring to the recent action by four countries to file a lawsuit against the Taliban in the International Court of Justice, have stated that they will not rest until justice is achieved and Afghan women gain their freedom.
Mélanie Joly, Canada’s Foreign Minister, wrote on the X platform on Thursday morning (September 26) that the Taliban have condemned Afghan women and girls to silence.
Ms. Joly, expressing Canada’s firm and steadfast support for Afghan women, wrote that the Taliban have continuously violated international law through their oppressive policies.
Similarly, Kasper Feldkamp, the Dutch Foreign Minister, added that the goal of this initiative (taking the Taliban to the International Court of Justice) is to end the Taliban’s horrific anti-women laws.
He described the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan as heartbreaking and emphasized that they have been almost entirely excluded from public life.
The Dutch Foreign Minister wrote on the X platform: “We cannot accept this situation. This is why the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, and Australia hold the Taliban accountable for violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.”
The Dutch Foreign Minister emphasized that the goal of these four countries is to end the Taliban’s laws that restrict Afghan women.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, and Australia issued a statement yesterday condemning the gross and systematic human rights violations in Afghanistan, especially the gender-based discrimination against women, and warned the Taliban that if they do not change their behavior towards women, they will file a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice.
The Taliban’s interim government officials have not responded to this matter. However, Afghanistan’s current regime considers women’s rights and human rights as internal issues and has called for non-interference in these matters.
