GHAZNI: In opposition to the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court’s request for arrest warrants for two Taliban commanders, over 200 Taliban sympathizers gathered in central Afghanistan on Sunday.
The gathering came as the ICC said Thursday that chief prosecutor Karim Khan was requesting arrest warrants for Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani and Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada for their persecution of women.
Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban administration has placed a number of restrictions on women and girls that the UN has referred to as “gender apartheid.”
Protesters in Ghazni city denounced Khan’s action while yelling “Death to America” and “long live the Islamic Emirate,” which is the Taliban government’s official name.
Noorulhaq Omar, a native of Ghazni, stated, “We have come here to demonstrate to the West that their choice is harsh and disapproved of by Afghans.” Referring to Akhundzada, he stated, “It will never be accepted because the Afghan nation will sacrifice their life for their emir.”
A global organization wants Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani and Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada detained for their persecution of women.
The chief of the information and culture department for Ghazni province, Hamidullah Nisar, attended the demonstration with the locals.
“What the ICC has said against the Islamic Emirate’s leadership is completely unacceptable, and we want them to retract their statements,” he declared.
With the exception of protests by allies of the government, the majority of protests in Afghanistan have been put down since the Taliban took power.
Khan’s petitions for an arrest warrant were rejected by the Taliban government of Afghanistan on Friday, citing “political motivations.” Activists and rights organizations have applauded the ICC action.
Claims
The Rome Statute of the court, which lays out each State signatory’s obligation to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over those responsible for international crimes, accuses the Taliban commanders of crimes against humanity on the grounds of gender-based persecution.
According to a statement released by Mr. Khan, “these applications acknowledge that Afghan women and girls, as well as the LGBTQI+ community, are facing an unprecedented, unconscionable, and ongoing persecution by the Taliban.”
The Taliban have systematically deprived women of their rights since taking back control of Afghanistan in 2021 through a number of repressive policies, such as preventing them from working, entering public places, and attending school over the age of twelve.
The ICC Prosecutor emphasized that these actions amount to grave violations of fundamental rights that are safeguarded by international law, such as physical autonomy, freedom of expression, and access to education.
This is the first time the ICC has applied for an arrest warrant in relation to Afghanistan. According to Mr. Khan, a variety of evidence, such as expert testimony, forensic studies, and multiple decrees from the de facto authorities, corroborate the filings.
The prosecutor went on to say that the ICC’s Afghanistan team, led by Special Adviser on Gender and Discriminatory Crimes Lisa Davis and Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan, had been instrumental in looking into these claims.
Next actions
Whether these applications for arrest warrants create reasonable reasons to think that the specified people committed the alleged crimes will now be decided by the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber.
In addition to declaring that more applications against other top Taliban leaders are on the horizon, Mr. Khan stated, “My Office will work closely with the Registrar in all efforts to arrest the individuals if the judges issue the warrants.” He emphasized that “for far too long, Afghan victims and survivors have been subjected to injustice.”
