Afghanistan (TDI): International Court of Criminal (ICC) issued arrest warrants for two top Taliban leaders, on Tuesday, accusing them of persecution of women in Afghanistan.
As per the Court, the top two Taliban leaders, Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani are “criminally responsible” for committing crimes against humanity in treatment of women and girls since they took power in 2021.
Since the Taliban seized power, treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan has gotten worse as their government restricted girls from schools and universities, implemented a number of policies that isolate women, contain them, and strip them of their basic rights.
ICC’s official statement said, “Through the Taliban’s deprivation of fundamental rights to education, privacy and family life, among others, Afghan women and girls were increasingly erased from public life. The decision of the judges of the ICC affirms that their rights are valuable, and that their plight and voices matter.”
It further stated that other people including allies of women and girls and the marginalized communities with sexualities and gender identities seen as “inconsistent with the Taliban’s policy on gender,” were also targeted by the Taliban.
What the Taliban said
Taliban rejected ICC’s arrest warrants and stated that they do not recognize the authority of ICC and their allegations are “nonsense” and mentioned court’s failure in protecting hundreds of women and children being killed in Gaza.
“The leadership and officials of the Islamic Emirate have established unparalleled justice in Afghanistan based on the sacred laws of Islamic Sharia,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban government, said in a statement.
More to know
The arrest warrants come a day after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on the situation in Afghanistan.
The resolution expressed “serious concern about the grave, worsening, widespread and systematic oppression of all women and girls in Afghanistan,” and called for the reversal of such policies by Taliban.
In September last year, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands initiated legal proceedings against Afghanistan for alleged violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
This was in the specific context of the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls. Interesting to note that the latest resolution adopted by the UNGA was put forth by Germany as well.
An IR student whose interest lies in diplomacy and current affairs and a part time debater
