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ICC prosecutor seeks arrest of Afghanistan's Taliban leaders

Published January 23, 2025last updated January 23, 2025

An International Criminal Court prosecutor has called for arrest warrants for Afghanistan's Taliban leaders over the persecution of women.

https://p.dw.com/p/4pW8e
Afghan burqa-clad women buy dry fruits along a road in Kandahar province
Edicts handed down by Akhundzada have squeezed women and girls from public lifeImage: Sanaullah Seiam/AFP via Getty Images

The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor on Thursday said he had filed for the arrest warrants of Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, including Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada.

The charges are of crimes against humanity for widespread discrimination against women and girls.

Why were the warrants requested?

Prosecutor Karim Khan said there were reasonable grounds to suspect that Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani bore "criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds."

Khan said that Afghan women and girls, as well as the LGBTQ+ community, faced "an unprecedented, unconscionable and ongoing persecution by the Taliban."

"Our action signals that the status quo for women and girls in Afghanistan is not acceptable," Khan added.

The Taliban authorities pledged a milder rule than their first stint in power from 1996-2001 after they swept back to power in August 2021.

Afghanistan: Women become 'invisible' under Taliban

However, Akhundzada soon laid down edicts forcing women out of public life in line with their interpretation of Islamic law.

The restrictions on women and girls were labeled "gender apartheid" by the United Nations.

Further warrant requests likely

Khan warned he would soon seek applications for warrants against other Taliban officials.

He also noted other crimes against humanity were being committed as well as persecution.

"Perceived resistance or opposition to the Taliban was, and is, brutally repressed through the commission of crimes including murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, enforced disappearance, and other inhumane acts," he said.

Judges at the Hague-based court will now have to decide on Khan's application before deciding whether to issue a warrant in a process that may last for weeks or even months.

rc/nm (AFP, Reuters)