The parents of Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, who was killed in an Afghan Taliban attack last year, have filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Islamist group, according to a lawyer for the family on Tuesday.

Siddiqui, a Pulitzer Prize winner, was embedded with Afghan special forces when he was murdered on July 16 during a failed assault by government soldiers to recover Spin Boldak from the Taliban.

Siddiqui’s parents, according to New Delhi-based lawyer Avi Singh, are pursuing legal action against six Taliban officials and other unidentified commanders at the Hague-based ICC on the grounds that the organisation targeted and killed their son because he was a photojournalist and an Indian national.

Two Taliban representatives did not answer to Reuters’ calls and mails seeking comment.

Siddiqui was stationed in New Delhi and had travelled to Afghanistan to cover the Taliban’s retaking of the country as the US and its allies were withdrawing forces to conclude their 20-year-long conflict there.

Singh and his family stated in a statement released before the news conference that Siddiqui, 38, was “illegally detained, tortured and killed by the Taliban, and his body was mutilated.”

“These acts and this killing constitutes not only a murder, but a crime against humanity and a war crime.”

The photojournalist was accidentally left behind with two commandos as soldiers evacuated from Spin Boldak during severe fighting with the Taliban, according to the commander of Afghanistan’s former Special Operations Corps, which had hosted Siddiqui.

The Taliban denied having kidnapped and murdered Siddiqui.

According to Reuters, Siddiqui was a valued coworker.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague Danish Siddiqui. Danish was an outstanding journalist and a much-loved colleague. We are continuing to honour his memory,” Reuters News’ parent company, Thomson Reuters, said in a statement.

According to Afghan security officers and Indian government officials, Siddiqui’s body was disfigured while in Taliban possession following his death, based on images, intelligence, and an inspection of his body.

In August, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid disputed allegations that Siddiqui had been kidnapped and executed, calling Afghan security forces and Indian government officials’ claims “completely wrong.”

Reuters earlier stated that it “was unable to independently determine if the Taliban deliberately killed Siddiqui or desecrated his body.”