Translated with AI
Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Taliban Supreme Court Chairman Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the ICC said in a statement released on Tuesday, the UN press service reported.
According to this document, the ICC representatives have reasonable grounds to believe that Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani have committed a crime against humanity, namely persecution, on the basis of gender, by ordering, inciting or inciting this crime against girls, women and other persons who do not conform to the Taliban's policies on gender, gender identity or expression, as well as on a political basis against persons perceived as "allies of girls and women."
These crimes, under Article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute, are alleged to have occurred in Afghanistan from 15 August 2021, when the Taliban came to power in the country, and to have continued until at least 20 January 2025.
The Chamber noted that the Taliban had pursued a deliberate state policy that had resulted in serious violations of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the civilian population of Afghanistan. While some restrictions applied to the general population, women and girls were targeted solely on the basis of their gender, systematically depriving them of their fundamental rights. In particular, through decrees and regulations, the Taliban restricted their rights to education, privacy and family life, freedom of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion.
Answering a question during a briefing for journalists, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric noted that the International Criminal Court is an independent body. "We respect its work. We respect its independence and we call on all states, in turn, to respect its work," he added.
Regarding the situation in Afghanistan, Dujarric said the UN has consistently supported the rights and freedoms of women and girls.
