ICC Prosecutor Pursues Arrest Warrants for Taliban Chiefs
Karim Khan has stated that there are reasons to believe that crimes against humanity are occurring in Afghanistan. Read the full article at RT.com.
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Karim Khan, the International Criminal Court Prosecutor, has indicated that there is reason to believe that crimes against humanity are occurring in Afghanistan. Khan has requested arrest warrants for two senior Taliban officials, who are accused of violating women’s rights within the country.
According to Khan, there are grounds to assert that the Taliban's Supreme Leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and Afghanistan’s Chief Justice, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, “bear criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds.” In a statement released on Thursday, he highlighted the ongoing deprivations suffered by women, girls, and members of the LGBTQ community since the Taliban regained control in August 2021, noting they have been stripped of their “right to physical integrity and autonomy, to free movement and free expression, to education, to private and family life, and to free assembly.”
He emphasized that any dissent against the Taliban regime is met with extreme violence, which includes “murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, enforced disappearance, and other inhumane acts.”
“The Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia should not, and may not be used to justify the deprivation of fundamental human rights,” Khan added. The ICC judges are now tasked with determining whether Akhundzada and Haqqani should be detained. Should the warrants be granted, Khan indicated that “all efforts to arrest the individuals” will be pursued by his office.
The prosecutor also mentioned that he plans to “soon” seek warrants for additional high-ranking Taliban officials while investigations into the situation in Afghanistan remain ongoing. The Taliban government has yet to issue a formal response to the ICC's statement.
Since overthrowing the US-backed Afghan government over three years ago, the Taliban has enforced numerous restrictions on women. These measures include mandates for women to cover their bodies entirely in public, prohibitions against working alongside men, barring access to education beyond the sixth grade, restrictions on solo travel, and limitations on speaking aloud in public, even among women.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
According to Khan, there are grounds to assert that the Taliban's Supreme Leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and Afghanistan’s Chief Justice, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, “bear criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds.” In a statement released on Thursday, he highlighted the ongoing deprivations suffered by women, girls, and members of the LGBTQ community since the Taliban regained control in August 2021, noting they have been stripped of their “right to physical integrity and autonomy, to free movement and free expression, to education, to private and family life, and to free assembly.”
He emphasized that any dissent against the Taliban regime is met with extreme violence, which includes “murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, enforced disappearance, and other inhumane acts.”
“The Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia should not, and may not be used to justify the deprivation of fundamental human rights,” Khan added. The ICC judges are now tasked with determining whether Akhundzada and Haqqani should be detained. Should the warrants be granted, Khan indicated that “all efforts to arrest the individuals” will be pursued by his office.
The prosecutor also mentioned that he plans to “soon” seek warrants for additional high-ranking Taliban officials while investigations into the situation in Afghanistan remain ongoing. The Taliban government has yet to issue a formal response to the ICC's statement.
Since overthrowing the US-backed Afghan government over three years ago, the Taliban has enforced numerous restrictions on women. These measures include mandates for women to cover their bodies entirely in public, prohibitions against working alongside men, barring access to education beyond the sixth grade, restrictions on solo travel, and limitations on speaking aloud in public, even among women.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
