The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for the leader and chief justice of the Taliban, accusing them of persecuting girls and women in Afghanistan. According to the ICC, there is evidence to suggest that the Taliban’s supreme spiritual leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and the chief justice, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, have committed a crime against humanity by specifically targeting girls and women on the grounds of gender. The ICC states that while the Taliban have enforced certain rules on the population as a whole, their actions have especially deprived girls and women of fundamental rights and freedoms.
The ICC further explains that certain expressions of sexuality and gender identity have also been targeted as they were deemed inconsistent with the Taliban’s gender policies. The court’s statement emphasizes that the Taliban’s measures have severely restricted girls’ and women’s rights to education, privacy, family life, and freedom of movement, expression, thought, conscience, and religion.
In response, the Taliban dismissed the warrants as “nonsense” and stated that the ICC’s actions would not affect their commitment to Sharia law, according to a spokesperson. The ICC, established to prosecute the world’s worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity, does not have its own police force and relies on member states to enforce arrest warrants. However, the court’s mandates can make it risky for those subject to them to travel to member states.
The Taliban has implemented various measures since returning to power, including banning women from public spaces and prohibiting girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade. Recently, Russia has become the first country to formally recognize the Taliban regime. The ICC has also recently sought the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/icc-issues-arrest-warrants-for-taliban-leaders/a-73206017?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
