ICC Seeks Authority to Probe CIA “Black sites” and Crimes in Afghanistan

The International Criminal Court (ICC) seeks authority to investigate allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan by foreign forces, Taliban networks, Afghan NDS.

The ICC Chief Investigator Fatou Bensouda request permission to look into the crimes allegedly committed across Afghanistan since May 1, 2003 as well as any crimes linked to the US-led Afghan war that also took place outside of the Asian country since July 2002, according to the ICC statement.

“The situation in Afghanistan has been under preliminary examination by the Office of the Prosecutor since 2006,” said the statement.
“After a comprehensive and careful scrutiny of the information available to the office, applying the applicable Rome Statute legal criteria, the prosecutor has determined that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation of the situation in Afghanistan,” it added.

The investigation will examine war crimes and human rights violations committed by the US and allied forces, with an additional focus on the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and its role in operating secret detention facilities — also referred to as “black sites” — on Afghan territory as well as in other allied countries.
These black sites were used by the CIA to hold and question suspected terrorists after September 11, often making use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” which has been criticized as being a euphemism for torture.

Among the techniques used was waterboarding, stress positions, sleep deprivation and humiliation.