Amnesty international welcomes the request for an arrest warrant for the Taliban leader

Jumhuri Mudara: The request by the prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for the leader of the Taliban has been widely welcomed internationally.

Most recently, amnesty international has described the request for an arrest warrant for the Taliban leaders as a significant step toward achieving justice for women, girls, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Agnes Callmard, secretary general of amnesty international, has called this request a major development that, according to her, brings hope to women, girls, and sexual minorities in Afghanistan.

Karim khan, the prosecutor of the ICC, announced that a request for an arrest warrant had been submitted for Hibatullah Akhunzada, the Taliban leader, and Sheikh Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the Taliban`s supreme court.

This decision by the ICC prosecutor has been strongly welcomed by international human rights organizations, government officials from various countries, political activists opposed to the Taliban, and women’s rights activists.

Karim khan stated that his office, after conducting necessary investigations and obtaining sufficient evidence, concluded that the Taliban leader and the chief justice of the Taliban supreme court are responsible for crimes against humanity based on gender persecution in Afghanistan, according to the Rome Status.

The secretary general of amnesty international, while welcoming the ICC prosecutor’s decision, added that this is a critical step toward holding accountable those who deprive individuals of their rights based on gender.

She also called on the international community to officially recognize gender apartheid under international law to strengthen efforts to combat institutionalized gender oppression.

Amnesty international, pointing out that access to justice in Afghanistan has been significantly delayed, has urges the ICC and international community to increase efforts to address gender-based persecution and other crimes under international law committed in Afghanistan.

The organization stated:” we strongly urge the ICC persecutor to expand investigations in Afghanistan to include all serious violations since may 2003 that constitute crimes under international law “.

In response to the ICC prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants for the Taliban leader and the chief justice of Taliban supreme court, the Taliban’s ministry of foreign affairs described the move as “lacking a fair legal basis” and claimed it was politically motivated.