R.E.A.L. Rejects Taliban's Crimes Against Humanity, Calls for ICC to Act: Jeffrey Imm

The Taliban's barbarous mass murder of children in Peshawar today should be condemned by all people of all faiths,nationalities, and political views.

The Taliban's continued practice of mass murder of children and targeted killings of children is nothing less than crimes against humanity. There is no rationale, no justification, and no defense for such crimes against humanity by the Taliban. Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) continues to stand by our position in unequivocal support for our universal human rights for all people, including the right to life and safety. The actions of the Taliban in this mass murder of children demonstrates their rejection of all human rights, and their choice to be enemies of humanity itself. For many years, R.E.A.L. has protested the Taliban's actions, their ideology, and those misguided state leaders who believe that they can "negotiate" with those criminals who deliberately and consciously murder children, women, and other innocent people. We call upon ALL people, all human rights leaders, and all world leaders to condemn their actions and the Taliban's anti-human rights ideology without qualification. We also call upon the International Criminal Court (ICC) to act upon Article 7 to bring international criminal charges against these Taliban leaders and these Taliban murderers, based on their systemic crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, extermination, and other inhumane acts. These crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offences in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of human beings." This mass murder in Peshawar is another in a series of systemic crimes against humanity by this Taliban terrorist organization, which has too frequently received state protection with the unwillingness of nations of the world to take criminal action against the Taliban. Therefore, we call upon the ICC to bring charges of crimes against humanity against the Taliban, their leaders, and their members. Pakistan states that it has supported the aims of the International Court and voted for the Rome Statute in 1998. Afghanistan acceded the Rome Statute on February 10, 2003. R.E.A.L. calls upon the ICC to act upon the criminal Taliban organization to protect humanity from their continuing crimes against humanity.