As part of its ongoing roundtable discussion series, the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies UK (AISS-UK) held its second in-person roundtable discussion on "Holding the Taliban accountable: Utilising international laws" on 28th October at the "Frontline Club” media center in London with the presence of legal scholars, practitioners, international law experts, researchers, representatives of civil society, and international human rights organizations.

The program was held in form of two panels with a keynote address by Heather Barr, Associate Director of the Women's Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, and featured Dr. Nasir A. Andisha, ambassador and Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the UN in Geneva; Saman Zia-Zarifi, Secretary General, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ); Dr. Latifa Jafari Alavi, International Law Researcher, University of Strasbourg; Bismillah Alizada, Ph.D. candidate, SOAS University of London, Dr. Moheb Mudessir; Ph.D. Candidate, School of Law, University of Sussex; Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Human rights advocate, author, and co-founder of the Coalition for Genocide Response. The first panel was moderated by Horia Mosadiq, Executive Director of Safety and Risk Mitigation Organization, and human rights activist, and second panel was moderation by Dr. Homira Rezai, Chairperson of Hazara Committee, UK.

speakers discussed the widespread violation of human rights by the Taliban in Afghanistan and exchanged views on exploring legal tools and avenues i.e., effective utilizationn of international laws, and covenants, especially international criminal laws, the International Criminal Court, and international institutions for holding the Taliban accountable for the group’s systematic and widespread violation of many provisions of international law. Participants also discussed and exchanged opinions on the coherence and coordination of international efforts to prevent the genocide of Hazaras and other ethnic and religious groups in Afghanistan. The first roundtable discussion was devoted to discussing the Taliban’s Gender Apartheid on July 29, 2022, at the University of Sussex.

A summary of key findings of the roundtable will be released in due course.