Protesters in Chicago Call for International Mechanism to Investigate Human Rights Violations in Afghanistan

Afghan migrants, civil activists, and Chicago citizens gathered on June 22, 2026, describing Taliban policies toward women as gender apartheid. They stated that women and girls in Afghanistan are deprived of basic rights including education, employment, and public participation.

The protests were triggered by arrests and suppression of women's demonstrations in Herat on 19 Jawza. Demonstrators called on the United Nations, International Criminal Court, and world governments to hold perpetrators of human rights violations accountable, avoid legitimizing the Taliban, and take urgent action to support Afghan women.

Similar protests by Afghans abroad and human rights activists have spread to 29 cities across Europe, Canada, America, Australia, and other countries following the arrests in Herat and suppression of demonstrations on 19 Jawza. The Chicago event joined these actions to press for coordinated international responses.

Participants emphasized the need for mechanisms that ensure accountability and highlighted the Herat incidents as examples of organized suppression. The gathering urged global institutions to implement measures addressing restrictions on women in Afghanistan.