ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders
The court in The Hague made the announcement on Tuesday.
The warrants allege that the two are criminally responsible for depriving women and girls of education, freedom of expression and other rights for about three-and-a-half years, until at least January this year.
The ICC's statement says it "found that gender persecution encompasses not only direct acts of violence, but also systemic and institutionalised forms of harm."
ICC prosecutors requested the warrants in January.
The court had been investigating the Taliban interim government for restricting women in education and other fields. The Islamist group regained power in 2021.
A spokesperson for the interim government issued a statement strongly condemning the ICC's decision.
It says such an announcement and baseless claims cannot affect the Taliban's "firm determination and legitimate stance" in any way.
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The Diplomat
a day ago
- The Diplomat
What Russia's Embrace of the Taliban Means for Afghan Women and the World
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If more countries follow Russia's lead, the Taliban will feel empowered that they can indeed gain international legitimacy without changing their repressive policies. Russia's recognition of the Taliban provides much sought-after legitimacy to a regime that is enforcing the world's most extreme version of gender apartheid. One significant dimension of this recognition is its psychological impact on Afghan women and girls. Those who have resisted the Taliban's restrictions over the past three years, striving for education and employment, are receiving the disheartening message that the international community does not care about their situation and that the Taliban, despite oppression and injustice, can gain international legitimacy. This will no doubt trigger yet a new wave of depression, despair, and anxiety among Afghan women and girls, further reducing their sense of hope that change will come. 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The international community should also advocate for including gender apartheid as a crime in the proposed global treaty on crimes against humanity currently advancing at the United Nations; support and resource the International Criminal Court (ICC) to speed up its investigation into the Taliban's systematic gender-based persecution and human rights violations against Afghan women and girls, ensuring accountability for senior Taliban leadership; use targeted pressure tools, including individual sanctions on Taliban leaders directly responsible for human rights and women's rights violations; and continue supporting Afghan women and girls through scholarships, distance learning programs, and support for teachers and women activists inside and outside Afghanistan.
Yomiuri Shimbun
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- Yomiuri Shimbun
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