ICC prosecutor requests detention warrants for Taliban chiefs
Date
1/26/2025 4:36:30 AM
(MENAFN) The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan has requested arrest warrants for two senior Taliban officials, accusing them of crimes against humanity related to gender-based persecution in Afghanistan. Khan’s statement, made Thursday, highlighted that the Taliban’s Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani are believed to bear criminal responsibility for systematically violating women’s rights since the Taliban's takeover in August 2021.
According to Khan, the Taliban's actions have stripped women, girls, and members of the LGBTQ community of their basic rights, including freedom of movement, education, privacy, and the right to assembly. These groups have faced brutal repression through violence, including murder, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, and enforced disappearances.
Khan emphasized that the Taliban's interpretation of Sharia law cannot justify the denial of fundamental human rights. The ICC will now decide whether to issue arrest warrants for Akhundzada and Haqqani. If granted, the ICC will take steps to apprehend them. The prosecutor also indicated plans to seek arrest warrants for additional Taliban officials as investigations continue.
Since seizing control of Afghanistan, the Taliban has enforced numerous restrictions on women, including bans on work, education beyond sixth grade, and travel without male guardians, while mandating that women cover themselves fully in public. The Taliban has yet to comment on the ICC's statement.
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