On October 6, 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Council took a decisive step toward confronting Afghanistan’s long, troubled history of human rights abuses. In a move described by observers as both unprecedented and overdue, the Council approved the establishment of an independent mechanism to investigate and document violations committed in Afghanistan—by both Taliban authorities and foreign military forces. The measure, spearheaded by the European Union and backed by Norway, South Korea, and Ukraine, was adopted by a majority vote, signaling a renewed global commitment to justice in a country where impunity has too often reigned.
This new investigative mechanism is not just another bureaucratic exercise. According to Reuters, it is one of the most serious forms of rights inquiry the UN can launch, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Council’s probes into Syria and Myanmar. The initiative’s scope is sweeping: a specialized working group will monitor and document abuses, investigate crimes against humanity, and refer cases to international courts like the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). For many Afghans and rights advocates, this is a long-awaited attempt to break the entrenched cycle of impunity that has plagued Afghanistan for generations.
“This initiative is designed to bring accountability for perpetrators of human rights violations and marks a significant step in monitoring human rights in the country,” Malek Sitez, a legal and international relations expert, told Afghanistan International. He noted that the measure was “long demanded by Afghan human rights activists,” and its adoption by the Council is seen as a watershed moment for those who have tirelessly advocated for justice.
For decades, Afghanistan has been a theater of conflict, repression, and neglect. The Taliban, who returned to power in 2021, have imposed sweeping restrictions on women’s rights, curtailed freedom of expression, and silenced dissent—all under the justification of their interpretation of Islamic law. At the same time, foreign forces, including those from the United States, Britain, Australia, and other NATO partners, operated in Afghanistan for two decades and now face allegations of war crimes. Yet, as Reuters reports, few have ever been prosecuted. The new UN mechanism aims to address violations from all sides, gathering evidence for potential court proceedings and, crucially, signaling that no perpetrator is above the law.
“A specialised working group will be created to bring key human-rights issues in Afghanistan under the UN’s high-standard protection framework. It will monitor and document violations, investigate crimes against humanity, and refer them to international courts such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ),” Sitez explained. He also pointed out a crucial distinction: while the current UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, is tasked with reporting on the situation, he does not have the authority to investigate or document war crimes. The new mechanism, however, explicitly includes these powers.
The importance of this initiative cannot be overstated. Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, welcomed the move, describing it as “an important step that could break the decades-long cycle of impunity.” She added, “If it only makes one local commander think twice before committing an abuse because there’s now a case against him, it will have been worth it.” Her words capture the hope that even the existence of a case file—evidence that someone is watching—could act as a deterrent to future crimes.
But the path to justice is far from straightforward. The proposal brings together a diverse set of stakeholders, each with their own motives and sensitivities. For the European Union and its supporters, the motion embodies a long-standing commitment to international human rights law and multilateral justice. The Taliban, not surprisingly, are expected to reject the probe, insisting that their governance aligns with religious principles. The United States and its NATO allies occupy a complicated position: while Washington supports scrutiny of Taliban abuses, it has historically resisted investigations into its own military actions. This tension was evident during President Donald Trump’s administration, when the U.S. withdrew from the Human Rights Council and imposed sanctions on the ICC in 2020.
China, meanwhile, has expressed doubts about the financial burden and local efficacy of the probe, suggesting that not all Council members are fully on board. Political fractures within the Council are likely to deepen as powerful states weigh the moral imperative of justice against the geopolitical costs of accountability. Still, the measure’s approval by majority vote underscores a broad recognition that Afghanistan’s brutal legacies of war and ongoing abuses can no longer be ignored.
The new mechanism is designed to work in tandem with the ICC’s ongoing—but so far limited—Afghanistan probe, potentially strengthening the evidentiary groundwork for future war crimes cases. If successful, it could become one of the most consequential UN initiatives on Afghanistan in recent years. The hope is that by collecting, preserving, and analyzing evidence, the mechanism can pave the way for criminal prosecutions—not just against Taliban officials, but also foreign troops implicated in abuses. It’s a bold vision, one fraught with political and practical challenges, but also rich with the promise of long-overdue accountability.
For many Afghans, the Council’s vote is more than a bureaucratic milestone; it is a fragile but real chance for the world to confront the abuses that have defined their country’s modern history. As Human Rights Watch’s Abbasi observed, even small shifts in accountability can have outsized impacts in a country where justice has so often been out of reach. The measure’s success will depend on the Council’s ability to navigate political obstacles, secure adequate funding, and ensure the safety of witnesses and investigators—a tall order in a nation still wracked by instability.
Yet, the very existence of this new mechanism sends a powerful message: the world is watching, and the era of unchecked impunity may finally be drawing to a close. Whether this initiative will succeed in delivering justice remains to be seen, but for now, it represents a rare moment of hope for those who have long waited for accountability in Afghanistan.
