Prosecutor Karim Khan says there are reasonable grounds for committing crimes against humanity against women and girls in Afghanistan.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has applied for arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, including Supreme Spiritual Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, accused of persecuting women and girls.
A statement issued by the office of ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan on Thursday said that investigators have found reasonable grounds to believe that Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, who has served as chief justice since 2021, have given, “Accept criminal responsibility for crimes against humanity of sexual persecution. Grounds.”
The statement said they were “criminally responsible for oppressing Afghan girls and women … and those whom the Taliban perceive as allies of girls and women”.
There was no immediate comment from Taliban leaders on the prosecutor’s statement.
Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, it has imposed restrictions on women’s rights, including schooling, work and general freedom in daily life.
A three-judge panel at the ICC is now expected to rule on the prosecution’s request, which has no set date. Such procedures take an average of three months.
It is the first time ICC prosecutors have publicly sought warrants in the investigation into possible war crimes in Afghanistan, which dates back to 2007 and once included alleged crimes by the US military there.
Khan said his office remains committed to accountability for gender-based crimes and that the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic Sharia law cannot justify human rights violations or crimes.
“Afghan women and girls, as well as the LGBTQI+ community, face an unprecedented, unaccountable and persistent persecution by the Taliban. Our action signals that the status quo is acceptable for women and girls in Afghanistan.” No,” said the prosecutor.
Zalmay Nishat, founder of the UK-based charity Mosaic Afghanistan, said if an ICC warrant were issued, it would have little impact on Akhundzada, who rarely travels outside Afghanistan.
“But in terms of the international credibility of the Taliban, it basically means the complete loss of their international legitimacy, if they have any,” he said.
‘The crisis in the ICC?’
Khan’s move comes amid a crisis at the court, which opened in 2002 at The Hague to try people accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression.
US President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to impose new sanctions against the court after it issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Moscow also hit back at the ICC for a 2023 warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine by issuing its own warrant for Khan.
Despite a recent series of high-profile arrest warrants, courtrooms in The Hague are almost empty and Khan is under investigation for alleged workplace sexual misconduct, which he denies.
The ICC also has no police force and relies on its 125 member states to make arrests.
But some European member states have expressed doubts about Netanyahu’s detention. Separately this week, Italy arrested an ICC suspect but failed to hand him over to the court.
