ICC seeks arrest of Taliban leaders over persecution of women
Judges said there were "reasonable grounds" to suspect Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani of committing gender-based persecution.
"While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms," the court said in a statement.
Afghanistan's Taliban authorities rejected the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants and called the move "nonsense".
"Such nonsense announcements won't affect the strong commitment and dedication to sharia (Islamic law)" of Taliban authorities, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement, adding that the Taliban government does not recognise the court.
The Taliban had "severely deprived" girls and women of the rights to education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion, ICC judges said.
The court said the alleged crimes had been committed between August 15, 2021, when the Taliban seized power, and continued until at least January 20, 2025.
Taliban authorities did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The ICC, based in The Hague, was set up to rule on the world's worst crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
It has no police force of its own and relies on member states to carry out its arrest warrants — with mixed results.
In theory, this means anyone subject to an ICC arrest warrant cannot travel to a member state for fear of being detained.
After sweeping back to power in August 2021, the Taliban authorities pledged a softer rule than their first stint from 1996 to 2001.
But they quickly imposed restrictions on women and girls that the United Nations has labelled "gender apartheid".
Edicts in line with their interpretation of Islamic law handed down by Akhundzada, who rules by decree from the movement's birthplace in southern Kandahar, have squeezed women and girls from public life.
The Taliban government barred girls from secondary school and women from university in the first 18 months after they ousted the US-backed government, making Afghanistan the only country in the world to impose such bans.
Authorities imposed restrictions on women working for non-governmental groups and other employment, with thousands of women losing government jobs -- or being paid to stay home.
Beauty salons have been closed and women blocked from visiting public parks, gyms and baths as well as travelling long distances without a male chaperone.
A "vice and virtue" law announced last year ordered women not to sing or recite poetry in public and for their voices and bodies to be "concealed" outside the home. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Muscat Daily
5 hours ago
- Muscat Daily
ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders
The Hague, Netherlands – The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for the Taliban's supreme leader and chief justice, accusing them of persecuting girls and women in Afghanistan. The ICC said there were grounds to believe that supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, chief justice of the Taliban, had committed the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds against girls, women and 'other persons non-conforming' with the Taliban's policy on gender, gender identity or expression, a statement from the UN court said. 'While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms,' the statement continued. The Taliban had 'severely deprived' girls and women of the rights to education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion, ICC judges said. 'In addition, other persons were targeted because certain expressions of sexuality and/or gender identity were regarded as inconsistent with the Taliban's policy on gender.' Taliban's response The Hague-based court alleged the crimes took place from August 15, 2021, when the Taliban seized power, and endured until at least January 20, 2025. The Taliban dismissed the warrants as 'nonsense' and that the ICC move 'won't affect the strong commitment and dedication to sharia (Islamic law)', spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement. The purpose of the ICC The ICC was created to pass judgement on the world's worst crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court has no police force of its own and relies on member states to carry out its arrest warrants. In theory, this means anyone subject to an ICC arrest warrant cannot travel to a member state for fear of being detained. In practice, this has not always been the case. Since returning to power four years ago, the Taliban have imposed measures that include the banning of women from public places and prohibiting girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade. Last week, Russia became the first country to formally recognise the Taliban regime. In recent years the ICC also has sought the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. DW
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
ICC seeks arrest of Taliban leaders over persecution of women
The Hague: The International Criminal Court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity for persecuting women and girls. Judges said there were "reasonable grounds" to suspect Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani of committing gender-based persecution. "While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms," the court said in a statement. Afghanistan's Taliban authorities rejected the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants and called the move "nonsense". "Such nonsense announcements won't affect the strong commitment and dedication to sharia (Islamic law)" of Taliban authorities, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement, adding that the Taliban government does not recognise the court. The Taliban had "severely deprived" girls and women of the rights to education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion, ICC judges said. The court said the alleged crimes had been committed between August 15, 2021, when the Taliban seized power, and continued until at least January 20, 2025. Taliban authorities did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The ICC, based in The Hague, was set up to rule on the world's worst crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. It has no police force of its own and relies on member states to carry out its arrest warrants — with mixed results. In theory, this means anyone subject to an ICC arrest warrant cannot travel to a member state for fear of being detained. After sweeping back to power in August 2021, the Taliban authorities pledged a softer rule than their first stint from 1996 to 2001. But they quickly imposed restrictions on women and girls that the United Nations has labelled "gender apartheid". Edicts in line with their interpretation of Islamic law handed down by Akhundzada, who rules by decree from the movement's birthplace in southern Kandahar, have squeezed women and girls from public life. The Taliban government barred girls from secondary school and women from university in the first 18 months after they ousted the US-backed government, making Afghanistan the only country in the world to impose such bans. Authorities imposed restrictions on women working for non-governmental groups and other employment, with thousands of women losing government jobs -- or being paid to stay home. Beauty salons have been closed and women blocked from visiting public parks, gyms and baths as well as travelling long distances without a male chaperone. A "vice and virtue" law announced last year ordered women not to sing or recite poetry in public and for their voices and bodies to be "concealed" outside the home. — AFP
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
Qatar says 'we will need time' for Gaza ceasefire
Doha: Negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are continuing but "need time", host Qatar cautioned on Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump voiced optimism about a possible breakthrough. A fresh round of indirect talks, after 21 months of fighting in Gaza, began on Sunday, with Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari confirming discussions had gone into a third day. "I don't think that I can give any timeline at the moment, but I can say right now that we will need time for this," Majed Al-Ansari told reporters at a regular briefing, when asked if a deal was close. Qatar, along with fellow mediators the United States and Egypt, has brokered back-and-forth talks aimed at a truce since the earliest days of the war, which erupted with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. With the exception of a week-long truce in November 2023 and a two-month halt that began in January 2025, the indirect talks, principally held in Doha and Cairo, have failed to end the hostilities. Trump, during Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, earlier said the Doha talks were going "very well" and that Hamas "want to have that ceasefire". Ansari declined to go into detail about the negotiations, but said they were focused on a framework for talks. "What is happening right now is that both delegations are in Doha, we are speaking with them separately on a framework for the talks," he said. "So talks have not begun, as of yet, but we are talking to both sides over that framework," he added. Ansari noted "positive engagement" and said the fact that the negotiating teams hadn't left the Qatari capital was "always a good sign". Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions earlier told AFP the proposed deal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. However, they said, the group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel's withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system. At the outset of the talks, Netanyahu said Hamas's response to a US-backed ceasefire proposal, conveyed through mediators, contained "unacceptable"
