WFB: The International Criminal Court rejected petitions for it to investigate alleged war crimes committed by the United States in Afghanistan, the BBC reports.
ICC judges notified the media in a press release that because of Afghanistan’s regional instability and the unwillingness of local investigators to cooperate, such an investigation “would not serve the interests of justice.”
This update comes just a week after the United States revoked entry visas to ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, who had been examining on the court’s behalf the possibility of war crimes committed in Afghanistan by the United States. This reversal is thought to be a response to that revocation, according to the BBC.
The ICC has been investigating abuses and war crimes committed in conflicted Middle Eastern regions for more than a decade. It began its formal examination into Afghanistan in November 2017.
According to the press release, although judges believe there is “a reasonable basis” to suspect that crimes occurred, right now the political and social state of Afghanistan “make the prospects for a successful investigation and prosecution extremely limited.”
“Accordingly, it is unlikely that pursuing an investigation would result in meeting the objectives listed by the victims favoring the investigation,” the press release continued.
The press release also stressed that the constantly changing political situation in Afghanistan makes it any sort of investigation a waste of resources, at the present moment. more here