ICC seeks arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over crimes against women

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced its intention to seek arrest warrants against senior figures in the Taliban government in Afghanistan for alleged crimes against humanity targeting women and girls.

Karim Khan, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, stated there were reasonable grounds to believe that Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani are criminally responsible for gender-based persecution, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

ICC judges will now determine whether to issue the arrest warrants.

“The two men were criminally responsible for persecuting Afghan girls and women, as well as persons whom the Taliban perceived as not conforming with their ideological expectations of gender identity or expression, and persons whom the Taliban perceived as allies of girls and women,” Khan said in a statement.

The ICC highlighted a range of crimes committed by the Taliban, including murder, imprisonment, torture, enforced disappearances, and other inhumane acts. “Opposition to the Taliban government is brutally repressed through the commission of crimes,” Khan added.

The alleged persecution dates back to August 15, 2021, when the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, and continues to the present.

Akhundzada, who has led the Taliban since 2016, is the supreme commander of the group and now heads the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. His involvement in Afghanistan’s conflicts dates back to the 1980s during the fight against Soviet forces.

Haqqani, a close ally of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, played a significant role in the 2020 negotiations with US representatives.

The ICC prosecutor’s office acknowledged hurdles in advancing the investigation, including a lack of cooperation from the Taliban authorities and the reluctance of witnesses to come forward due to fear.

“Due to fear, individuals with important information for the investigation are frequently unwilling to come forward,” the office stated. The Taliban government has not yet responded to the ICC’s allegations.

Nader Nadery, a senior fellow at the Wilson Center and former peace negotiator, expressed cautious optimism about the ICC’s move.

“While it might not immediately change things, it sends a strong message that there won’t be impunity,” Nadery said. “It builds hope for many of those activists and Afghan women on the ground that probably there is a way forward, and keeping that hope alive, I believe, is a major contribution immediately.”

Note that, the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces, 20 years after their initial ousting post-9/11. Despite their control, the Taliban government has yet to receive formal recognition from any foreign power.

The ICC’s decision could signal increased international pressure on the Taliban leadership amid mounting evidence of human rights abuses.

By Aghakazim Guliyev