Human Rights Watch has appealed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to suspend Afghanistan’s membership and prevent the Taliban-controlled nation from participating in international cricket.
The request was made in a letter to ICC Chairman Jay Shah, dated February 3rd and released publicly on March 7th. The letter’s subject was: ‘Suspending the Afghanistan Cricket Board and Implementing a Human Rights Policy’.
Human Rights Watch describes itself as a global, independent, non-governmental organization focused on investigating and advocating against human rights violations by governments and other powerful entities worldwide.
The letter stated, ‘We are writing to strongly recommend that the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspend Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, from ICC membership and from all international cricket participation. This suspension should remain until women and girls in Afghanistan are once again allowed to fully engage in education and sports.’
The organization also urged the ICC to adopt a human rights policy based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The letter acknowledged the ICC’s commitment to increasing resources for women’s cricket, but highlighted the severe restrictions imposed on women and girls by the Taliban since they regained power in August 2021. These restrictions encompass fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, movement, employment, and education beyond the sixth grade, impacting their access to essential aspects of life including healthcare, shelter, and sustenance.
The communication emphasized the ICC’s anti-discrimination policy, which promotes inclusivity in cricket, regardless of background, and aims to ensure a sport free from intimidation based on factors like sex and gender.
Furthermore, the letter pointed out that while financial support to Afghanistan’s women’s team was halted in 2021, the men’s team continues to receive financial and logistical assistance, which might contradict the ICC’s anti-discrimination stance.
Human Rights Watch stated that by prohibiting women and girls from playing cricket and preventing a national women’s team from international competition, the Afghanistan Cricket Board is violating the Anti-Discrimination Policy.
The letter also noted cricket’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, arguing that the Taliban’s ban on female participation is a serious breach of the Olympic Charter, which recognizes sport as a fundamental human right.
Since 2021, the Taliban have enforced increasingly strict laws against women in public life, including sports. Prior to this, the Afghanistan Cricket Board had planned to contract 25 women players, many of whom now live in exile in Australia.
Last July, former members of the Afghanistan women’s national team appealed to the ICC for recognition as a refugee team, as they are no longer recognized by the Taliban regime.
Several of these players participated in an exhibition match in Melbourne in January as part of the Afghanistan Women’s XI, against a Cricket Without Borders XI.
Around the same period, the England Cricket Board faced pressure to boycott their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also called upon the ICC to enforce its own regulations regarding the situation.
England and Australia have chosen not to engage in bilateral cricket matches with Afghanistan but will compete against them in ICC events. ECB chief executive Richard Gould advocated for a unified, ICC-led strategy instead of individual actions from member nations.
The situation regarding banning the men’s team is complex. Some exiled Afghan women cricketers expressed in a podcast that while they don’t want the men’s team to be banned as they represent hope, they wish for them to advocate more actively for women’s and girls’ equal rights in the sport.
Human Rights Watch has requested the ICC to respond promptly to several questions. These include the steps the ICC is taking to develop a human rights policy, the reasons for not suspending the Afghanistan Cricket Board until women are included, and whether the ICC would recognize the exiled Afghanistan women’s national team, providing them with support to train and compete.
Further questions include what actions the ICC is taking to encourage the Afghanistan Cricket Board to include women in competitions and what support is being provided to the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
The letter concluded by urging the International Cricket Council to follow the example of other sports bodies, like the International Olympic Committee, by demanding the Taliban include Afghan women in sports and by committing to a human rights framework.
The ICC has been contacted for their response.
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