Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities have rejected the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders over accusations of persecuting women and girls, calling the move “nonsense”.
“Such nonsense announcements won’t affect the strong commitment and dedication to sharia (Islamic law)” of Taliban authorities, spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the Taliban government does not recognise the court.
The ICC on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing them of crimes against humanity and systemic gender-based persecution in Afghanistan since the group’s return to power.
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Widespread violations
In a statement, the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber II said there are reasonable grounds to believe that Akhundzada and Haqqani committed the crime against humanity of persecution by ordering, inducing or soliciting discriminatory policies targeting women, girls and others who do not conform with the Taliban’s views on gender identity or expression.
The chamber said these acts, carried out from August 15, 2021, when the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, to at least January 20, 2025, amount to widespread and systematic violations of fundamental rights and freedoms.
According to the court, the Taliban leadership implemented policies that severely deprived girls and women of basic rights, including access to education, freedom of movement, expression, privacy, family life, thought, conscience and religion.
