Slain photojournalist Danish Siddiqui's parents start legal action against Taliban in ICC

By Team Newsable | First Published Mar 22, 2022, 5:07 PM IST

Siddiqui (38) was shot dead while covering the clash between the Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters near the border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan on July 16.

The parents of Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, who was killed by the Taliban last year, on Tuesday, have started legal action at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Taliban, the family's lawyer stated.

While covering the clash between the Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters, near the border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan on July 16, Siddiqui (38) was shot dead. He worked with the Reuters news agency while covering the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

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New Delhi based lawyer named Avi Singh stated at an online news conference that Siddhiqui's parents were aiming legal action against six leaders of the Taliban along with other unidentified fighters at the International Criminal Court, on the basis that the group aimed and killed their son, the reason being he was a photojournalist and an Indian nationalist.

Danish Siddiqui was from New Delhi and had journeyed to Afghanistan to cover the Taliban, retaking Afghanistan as the United States and its allies withdrew their soldiers to conclude the 20-year-long war in Afghanistan.

In their statement before the news conference, his family and Singh stated that he was illegally detained, tortured, and killed by the Taliban; his body was also mutilated. They added that these acts and this killing constitute not only a murder but a crime against humanity and a war crime.

When forces evacuated from Spin Boldak during severe combat with the Taliban, the photojournalist was mistakenly left behind with two commandos, as per Afghanistan's former Special Operations Corps commander.

The Taliban had denied all claims that they killed Siddiqui intentionally.

Afghan security officials and the Indian government officials informed Reuters that, as per the images, intelligence, and an examination of Siddiqui's body, his body was mutilated while in Taliban possession following his death.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid declined all reports that Siddiqui was detained and executed, denying the claims of the Afghan security forces and Indian government officials as 'completely wrong.' Previously Reuters reported that they could not objectively determine if the Taliban purposefully killed Siddiqui or desecrated his body

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