Latest news with #Pre-TrialChamber
Scoop
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Afghanistan: UN Experts Welcome Arrest Warrants For Senior Taliban Leaders
GENEVA (11 July 2025) – Human rights experts* today welcomed the announcement by the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against two senior Taliban leaders - Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani - due to their alleged responsibility for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender and political grounds. 'These arrest warrants mark a critical step forward for justice for the people of Afghanistan, especially women and girls, who, for nearly four years, have borne the brunt of the Taliban's institutionalised system of gender discrimination, oppression, domination, and persecution,' the experts said. 'It sends an important message that impunity will not last forever. To the victims and survivors, this action is a powerful affirmation that the international community sees, hears, and believes them. Their brave calls for action are at last being answered.' The experts reminded States Parties to the Rome Statute of their obligation to help bring the wanted men to justice, and called for increased political, diplomatic, and financial support for the Court and its ongoing investigations. 'The ICC is a key pillar in a broader system of accountability and plays a crucial role in ensuring accountability for the most serious international crimes,' they said. 'We call on all States and in particular ICC Member States, to safeguard and support the Court and its independence and meet their obligations under the Rome Statute.' The experts called for strengthened and sustained support for other, complementary initiatives to ensure accountability for gross human rights violations and international crimes in the country, as well as greater support for the people of Afghanistan. They particularly stressed the importance of a principled and coordinated strategy rooted in human rights. 'These arrest warrants must also send a clear message to Member States that there should be no normalisation of a regime which so explicitly denies the fundamental rights and dignity of more than half of the country's population,' the experts said. 'To those who seek to lend legitimacy to the Taliban we make it clear: you stand on the wrong side of history.' *The experts: Richard Bennett, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan; Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; Laura Nyirinkindi (Chair), Claudia Flores (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Ivana Krstić, and Haina Lu, Working group on discrimination against women and girls; Nahla Haidar, Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; Graeme Reid, Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences; Bernard Duhaime, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent fromany government or organization, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.
Libya Observer
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Libya Observer
12 criminal charges, including murder and rape, await Najim at ICC
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Sunday published the arrest warrant issued by its Prosecutor against Osama Najim, a senior official in Libya's Judicial Police, listing 12 charges including murder and rape that await him upon appearing before the court. Najim, who oversaw prisons in Tripoli where thousands were held for extended periods, is suspected of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes—among them intentional killings, torture, rape, and sexual violence—dating back to February 2015, according to the ICC's official website. The arrest warrant outlines the war crimes and crimes against humanity attributed to Najim under the Rome Statute, including: violations of personal dignity, cruel treatment, torture, rape and sexual violence, intentional homicide, unlawful imprisonment, persecution, among others. These crimes were allegedly committed at Mitiga Prison from February 15, 2015 onward. The ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber concluded that these crimes were committed by Najim personally, on his orders, or with assistance from members of the Special Deterrence Force (Radaa), officially known as the Deterrence Apparatus for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism. In coordination with the Office of the Prosecutor and under the authority of the Pre-Trial Chamber, the ICC Registry submitted arrest requests to six State Parties, including Italy. The court also transmitted intelligence regarding Najim's suspected location and movements within the Schengen Area. Concurrently, it requested INTERPOL to issue a Red Notice, as per standard procedure. According to the ICC, Najim was located in Turin, Italy, in the early hours of Sunday, January 19. Italian authorities successfully arrested him and held him pending completion of national procedures related to his arrest and handover. The ICC declined to comment further at the time, respecting Italy's request for confidentiality. The court noted, however, that Najim was unexpectedly released and allowed to return to Libya on January 21. The ICC has since sought clarification from the Italian authorities regarding the reasons behind his release, reminding all State Parties of their obligation to fully cooperate with the court in its investigations and prosecutions.
Business Recorder
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Israel urges ICC to drop arrest warrants against PM
THE HAGUE: Israel has asked the International Criminal Court to dismiss its arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant while ICC judges reconsider complex jurisdictional questions. In a 14-page document dated May 9 but posted on the ICC website on Monday, Israel argued the warrants issued in November were null and void while judges weigh a previous Israeli challenge to the ICC's jurisdiction in the case. In a ruling that made headlines around the world, the ICC found 'reasonable grounds' to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore 'criminal responsibility' for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza. The court also issued a war crimes warrant against top Hamas commander Mohammed Deif over the October 7 attacks that sparked the conflict. The case against Deif was dropped in February after his death. Israel, not one of the ICC's 125 members, challenged the court's jurisdiction but judges on the ICC's 'Pre-Trial Chamber' dismissed the bid and issued the arrest warrants. But last month, the ICC's Appeals Chamber ruled the Pre-Trial Chamber was wrong to dismiss the challenge and ordered it to look again in detail at Israel's arguments. Israel says now that the arrest warrants should not stay in place while this complex and lengthy process is ongoing. 'Unless and until the Pre-Trial Chamber has ruled on the substance of the jurisdiction challenge... the prerequisite jurisdictional finding does not exist,' Israel argued.
eNCA
12-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Israel urges ICC to drop arrest warrants against PM
Israel has asked the International Criminal Court to dismiss its arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant while ICC judges reconsider complex jurisdictional questions. In a 14-page document dated May 9 but posted on the ICC website on Monday, Israel argued the warrants issued in November were null and void while judges weigh a previous Israeli challenge to the ICC's jurisdiction in the case. In a ruling that made headlines around the world, the ICC found "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore "criminal responsibility" for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza. The court also issued a war crimes warrant against top Hamas commander Mohammed Deif over the October 7 attacks that sparked the conflict. The case against Deif was dropped in February after his death. Israel, not one of the ICC's 125 members, challenged the court's jurisdiction but judges on the ICC's "Pre-Trial Chamber" dismissed the bid and issued the arrest warrants. But last month, the ICC's Appeals Chamber ruled the Pre-Trial Chamber was wrong to dismiss the challenge and ordered it to look again in detail at Israel's arguments. Israel says now that the arrest warrants should not stay in place while this complex and lengthy process is ongoing. "Unless and until the Pre-Trial Chamber has ruled on the substance of the jurisdiction challenge... the prerequisite jurisdictional finding does not exist," Israel argued. "It follows that the arrest warrants issued on 21 November 2024 must be withdrawn or vacated pending the Pre-Trial Chamber's determination of Israel's jurisdictional challenge." Israel and its allies reacted furiously to the warrants issued on November 21, Netanyahu describing it as an "anti-Semitic decision" and then US president Joe Biden slamming it as "outrageous." Technically, any member of the ICC is required to arrest Netanyahu if he travels there, although the court has no independent power to enforce warrants. Israel argued in its submission that Netanyahu could theoretically be arrested while the court was still weighing whether it had jurisdiction in the case. "Depriving persons of their liberty on the basis of an arrest warrant issued in the absence of the necessary legal pre-conditions is an egregious violation of fundamental human rights and of the rule of law," Israel argued. Allowing the warrants to stay in place during the deliberations "is unlawful and undermines the legitimacy of the court," said Israel.
Int'l Business Times
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Israel Urges ICC To Drop Arrest Warrants Against PM
Israel has asked the International Criminal Court to dismiss its arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant while ICC judges reconsider complex jurisdictional questions. In a 14-page document dated May 9 but posted on the ICC website on Monday, Israel argued the warrants issued in November were null and void while judges weigh a previous Israeli challenge to the ICC's jurisdiction in the case. In a ruling that made headlines around the world, the ICC found "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore "criminal responsibility" for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza. The court also issued a war crimes warrant against top Hamas commander Mohammed Deif over the October 7 attacks that sparked the conflict. The case against Deif was dropped in February after his death. Israel, not one of the ICC's 125 members, challenged the court's jurisdiction but judges on the ICC's "Pre-Trial Chamber" dismissed the bid and issued the arrest warrants. But last month, the ICC's Appeals Chamber ruled the Pre-Trial Chamber was wrong to dismiss the challenge and ordered it to look again in detail at Israel's arguments. Israel says now that the arrest warrants should not stay in place while this complex and lengthy process is ongoing. "Unless and until the Pre-Trial Chamber has ruled on the substance of the jurisdiction challenge... the prerequisite jurisdictional finding does not exist," Israel argued. "It follows that the arrest warrants issued on 21 November 2024 must be withdrawn or vacated pending the Pre-Trial Chamber's determination of Israel's jurisdictional challenge." Israel and its allies reacted furiously to the warrants issued on November 21, Netanyahu describing it as an "anti-Semitic decision" and then US president Joe Biden slamming it as "outrageous." Technically, any member of the ICC is required to arrest Netanyahu if he travels there, although the court has no independent power to enforce warrants. Israel argued in its submission that Netanyahu could theoretically be arrested while the court was still weighing whether it had jurisdiction in the case. "Depriving persons of their liberty on the basis of an arrest warrant issued in the absence of the necessary legal pre-conditions is an egregious violation of fundamental human rights and of the rule of law," Israel argued. Allowing the warrants to stay in place during the deliberations "is unlawful and undermines the legitimacy of the court," said Israel.
