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WORLD NEWS Thursday 17 augusT 2023

UN envoy says ICC should prosecute Taliban for

crimes against humanity for denying girls education

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The
International Criminal Court
should prosecute Taliban
leaders for a crime against
humanity for denying edu-
cation and employment to
Afghan girls and women,
the U.N. special envoy for
global education said.
Gordon Brown told a virtual
U.N. press conference on
the second anniversary of
the Taliban takeover of Af-
ghanistan on Tuesday that
its rulers are responsible
for “the most egregious,
vicious and indefensible
violation of women’s rights
and girls’ rights in the world
today.”
The former British prime min-
ister said he has sent a legal Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education and former Prime Minister of the
opinion to ICC prosecutor United Kingdom, holds a news conference at U.N. headquarters, on Sept. 16, 2016.
Karim Khan that shows the Associated Press
denial of education and their harsh interpretation of en’s education and em- structions.”
employment is “gender dis- Islamic law, or Sharia, bar- ployment have “no basis The Taliban’s chief spokes-
crimination, which should ring girls from school be- in the Quran or the Islamic man, Zabihullah Mujahid,
count as a crime against yond the sixth grade and religion” and to lift them. brushed aside questions
humanity, and it should be women from most jobs, He said he believes “there’s about restrictions on girls
prosecuted by the Interna- public spaces and gyms a split within the regime,” and women in an Associ-
tional Criminal Court.” and recently closing beau- with many people in the ated Press interview late
The Taliban took power in ty salons. education ministry and Monday in Kabul, saying
August 2021, during the fi- Brown urged major Muslim around the government the status quo will remain.
nal weeks of the U.S. and countries to send a delega- in the capital, Kabul, who He also said the Taliban
NATO forces’ pullout after tion of clerics to Afghani- want to see the rights of view their rule of Afghani-
20 years of war. stan’s southern city of Kan- girls to education restored. stan as open-ended, draw-
As they did during their pre- dahar, the home of Taliban “And I believe that the cler- ing legitimacy from Islamic
vious rule of Afghanistan supreme leader Hibatullah ics in Kandahar have stood law and facing no signifi-
from 1996 to 2001, the Tal- Akhundzada, to make the firmly against that, and in- cant threat.q
iban gradually reimposed case that bans on wom- deed continue to issue in-

Czechs ratify defense treaty that makes it easier to

deploy U.S. troops in Czech territory

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech gal framework for possible in the country at a time of Ukraine.
Republic on Wednesday deployment of U.S. troops Russian aggression against Czech Defense Minister
completed the ratification Jana Cernochova signed
of a defense treaty with the the treaty together with
United States that deepens U.S. Defense Secretary
military cooperation and Lloyd Austin in Washington,
makes it easier to deploy D.C. on May 23. The U.S.
U.S. troops in Czech terri- has similar agreements with
tory. 24 other NATO members,
Czech Prime Minister Petr including Poland, Slovakia,
Fiala’s signature was the Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia,
final step in the ratification Estonia, Romania and Bul-
process of the Defense garia that form the eastern
Cooperation Agreement, flank of the alliance.
which had been endorsed Any deployment of U.S.
by both houses of Parlia- forces would still need ap-
ment in July and by Presi- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg talks to U.S. army proval by the Czech gov-
dent Petr Pavel on Aug 1. soldiers while visiting Prague, Czech Republic, on Sept. 9, 2015. ernment and Parliament.q
The document sets a le- Associated Press