An Afghan women’s group yesterday hailed a decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrest Taliban leaders for their persecution of women.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan on Thursday announced that he had requested arrest warrants for two top Taliban officials, including the leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Since they took back control of the country in 2021, the Taliban has barred women from jobs, most public spaces and education beyond sixth grade.
Photo: EPA-EFE
In a statement, the Afghan Women’s Movement for Justice and Awareness celebrated the ICC decision and called it a “great historical achievement.”
“We consider this achievement a symbol of the strength and will of Afghan women and believe this step will start a new chapter of accountability and justice in the country,” the group said.
The Taliban government said the ICC’s move was “politically motivated.”
“Like many other decisions of the [ICC], it is devoid of a fair legal basis, is a matter of double standards and is politically motivated,” a statement from the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X said.
“It is regrettable that this institution has turned a blind eye to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by foreign forces and their domestic allies during the twenty-year occupation of Afghanistan,” it said.
It added that the court should “not attempt to impose a particular interpretation of human rights on the entire world and ignore the religious and national values of people of the rest of the world.”
An official in the former Western-backed administration in Afghanistan warned that the Taliban leadership was likely to exploit the decision for propaganda purposes by framing it as proof of their strong faith and resilience.
“They may tell their followers that their beliefs are so powerful they have provoked the collective opposition of global powers,” Mohammad Halim Fidai wrote on X.
Fidai was a governor of four provinces before the takeover and now lives outside Afghanistan.
“This decision could inadvertently serve as a badge of honor or credibility for them,” he said.
The UN mission in Afghanistan yesterday said it was a “tragedy and travesty” that girls remain deprived of education.
“It has been 1,225 days — soon to be four years — since authorities imposed a ban that prevents girls above the age of 12 from attending school,” UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan head Roza Otunbayeva said. “It is a travesty and tragedy that millions of Afghan girls have been stripped of their right to education.”
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