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| International Criminal Court (ICC) symbolic logo | Photo: ICC web |
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has dismissed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants against its leaders as politically motivated.
The ICC’s Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, recently requested warrants for Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing them of crimes against humanity through discrimination against women and girls.
In a statement on Facebook, the Afghan Foreign Ministry criticized the move, stating, “Like many other ICC decisions, this one has no legitimate legal basis. It is a matter of double standards and is politically motivated.”
The statement further condemned the ICC for failing to address alleged war crimes committed by foreign forces and their allies during the 20-year occupation of Afghanistan. “Regrettably, the ICC has remained blind to the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by foreign forces and their domestic allies,” the ministry added.
Speaking at an event in Khost, Afghan Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Nabi Omari reinforced the government’s rejection of the ICC’s actions. “The ICC cannot intimidate us,” he said. “If a true and fair court existed, they should have brought the United States to court. The U.S. is the cause of the war and the problems in the world. Netanyahu would have been punished for waging war in Gaza.”
The ICC Chief Prosecutor’s application, filed on January 23 in The Hague, accuses the Taliban leadership of systemic oppression and discriminatory actions against women and girls since their return to power on August 15, 2021. This includes restrictions on education, employment, and public freedoms for women.
The ICC application will now be reviewed by a panel of three International Court of Justice judges. While no specific deadline exists for the decision, such applications typically take around three months to resolve.
The Taliban’s campaign against women and girls has drawn widespread international condemnation. Despite the ICC’s efforts to address these allegations, the Taliban’s leadership continues to challenge the legitimacy of international legal actions against them.