The Hearing Session of People’s Tribunal for Women of Afghanistan successfully took place in Madrid, Spain, from October 8 to 10, 2025.
Rawadari, the Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization (AHRDO), the Organization for Policy Research and Development Studies (DROPS), and Human Rights Defenders Plus jointly initiated this Tribunal under the auspices of the Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT). The event featured a Panel of Judges, prosecutors, survivors and witnesses and human rights experts.
We applaud and honour the bravery and profound impact of the victim and survivor testimonies. These women, from inside and outside Afghanistan, shared harrowing testimonies before the Panel of Judges, overcoming trauma, social stigma and the attempts to silence and erase their voices. Their voices resonated far beyond the halls in Madrid to cities and villages inside Afghanistan and around the world as people followed the proceedings on media and online.
We are grateful to the PPT for accepting the civil society petition and convening the People’s Tribunal for Women of Afghanistan. We also extend our profound gratitude to the esteemed prosecutors and judges who worked tirelessly in preparation for these hearing sessions and during the three days of the Proceedings. We are grateful to the Madrid Bar Association for generously hosting this historic event in their premises and providing logistical support on the ground. We thank the media for their extensive coverage of this historic event that ensured women and men in Afghanistan could also engage with the process. An international team of experts provided invaluable guidance for preparation of the indictment. The Indonesian Women Ulama Congress (KUPI)’s solidarity and support was invaluable to highlighting an Islamic perspective to women’s rights. Our immense gratitude to the people of Afghanistan, Afghan civil society organizations, international human rights institutions, scholars, academics and researchers for their incredible engagement and response in the three days of proceedings.
Successfully holding this event required months of effort, planning, coordination, and continuous work. Fortunately, the collective participation, cooperation, and invaluable support of the judges, prosecution team, experts, civil society organizations, human rights organizations, media, and, most importantly, the courageous presence of survivors and witnesses, led to an impactful event that ignited hope and mobilized advocacy both inside and outside Afghanistan.
The final judgement of the Tribunal will be announced in December. We look forward to the ongoing constructive consultation and engagement with civil society organizations, experts, and the media for the next steps of this process. The judgment will be an important and historic document that can inform and contribute to the ongoing accountability efforts on Afghanistan. We hope it will be utilized by survivors, advocates, civil society organizations, communities and media to pursue rights, dignity and justice for women of Afghanistan.
