The parents of Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, who was killed last July in Afghanistan while covering the war there, will, on Tuesday move the International Criminal Court against the Taliban over his death.
Siddiqui was killed while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar city in July 2021.
An official statement was issued by his family which read: “On Tuesday, 22nd March, 2022, Danish Siddiqui's parents, Akhtar Siddiqui and Shahida Akhtar will initiate legal action to investigate his killing and bring those responsible, including high level commanders and leaders of the Taliban, to justice.”
While calling his killing “a crime against humanity” and a “war crime”, the family’s statement said: “On 16th July, 2021, Pulitzar award-winning Indian photojournalist Danish Siddique was illegally detained, tortured and killed by the Taliban, and his body was mutilated. These acts and this killing constitute not only a murder, but a crime against humanity and a war crime.”
It further states that this was not an isolated incident. “The Taliban's military code of conduct, published as the Layha, has a policy of attacking civilians, including journalists. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan documented over 70,000 civilian casualties attributed to the Taliban,” it added.
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