ICC Issues Arrest Warrants For Top Taliban Leaders 

The International Criminal Court (ICC) this week issued arrest warrants for two top Taliban leaders over the persecution of females in Afghanistan, nearly four years after the armed group retook control of the country following the withdrawal of the United States and its allies, CNN reported. 

On Tuesday, the Hague-based tribunal announced warrants against Taliban Supreme Leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and Chief Justice, Abdul Hakim Haqqani. 

The two officials are accused of “ordering, inducing or soliciting” the persecution of girls, women, and others who fail to conform to the Taliban’s gender policies. 

In its statement, the court said the Taliban specifically targeted “girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms.” 

It also accused the group of targeting individuals whose sexualities or gender identities are viewed as “inconsistent with the Taliban’s policy on gender.” 

Taliban officials rejected the ICC’s move and accused the court of harboring “enmity and hatred for the pure religion of Islam.” 

Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed a series of draconian restrictions on women and girls, including banning girls from education beyond sixth grade, ordering women to cover their faces and bodies in public and refrain from speaking, and limiting female employment opportunities. 

The warrants were issued a day after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning the oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan and urged the Taliban to “swiftly reverse these policies.” 

Human rights groups welcomed the ICC’s decision, saying the warrants could “provide victims and their families with an essential pathway to justice.” 

However, the ICC is unlikely to enforce the warrants, Newsweek noted. 

While the move could dissuade some countries from establishing ties with the Taliban, others won’t likely be deterred. 

Last week, Russia became the first country to officially recognize the Taliban government, saying it wanted to strengthen ties and offer security and anti-narcotics cooperation.