Hague/Kabul44 minutes ago
- Copy link
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants on 8 July against Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Afghanistan Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani.
Both of them are accused of torturing those who opposed the harsh gender policies of Afghan women, girls and Taliban. These warrants have been issued under crimes against humanity.
This is the first time the ICC has taken such a legal step against the Taliban’s top leadership. The court said that
From 15 August 2021, when the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, many serious crimes were committed against women and girls from 20 January 2025. These include murder, imprisonment, rape, torture and forced disappearance. These persecution happened not only on the basis of gender but also on those who have anti -Taliban views.
The Taliban has power in Afghanistan since August 2021, Mulla Akhundzada is the head of the Taliban government. (File photo)
ICC said- Women deprived of education
The court said that the Taliban specifically targeted girls and women. He was deprived of basic rights like education, movement, privacy and religious expression.
According to the warrant, people who supported these women and girls or the policies of the Taliban were also punished.
The ICC made it clear that ‘gender -based harassment’ is not only violence, but also through government policies and social rules, it is also a systematic harassment. It deprives women from equal.
However, the arrest warrant is currently sealed so that the security of the victims and witnesses remains, but the court considered it necessary to make it necessary to prevent such crimes in future.
The court said that this action is part of the objective of the ICC in which the serious and systematic human rights violations against the weaker sections are prevented.
The hearing pre-trial Chamber II said that the Taliban leaders got these crime orders, provoking or supporting them. (File photo)
ICC does not have arrest power
The ICC has issued this warrant, but does not have the powers of the arrest of the suspects. He can only exercise his rights in countries that have signed the agreement to establish this court.
Afghan women ban on speaking fast during prayer
The Taliban issued a new decree for women last year. According to this, prayers were banned for women in loud voice. The order was issued by Taliban Minister Mohammad Khalid Hanafi.
He said that women have to read the verses of the Quran in such a slow voice that other women present with them do not hear this. Hanafi said that women are not allowed to read Takbir or Ajan, then they cannot even sing nor listen to music.
According to the report, Hanafi said
The voice of women is ‘Aurah’, that is, something that needs to be hidden. The voice of women should not be heard publicly or other women.
At present, this order is limited to reading the Quran only, but many experts have feared that the Taliban may ban women in public.
Since the Taliban’s withdrawal in Afghanistan, women have been banned, working and many other things.
Ban on women’s nursing also
The Taliban has also banned women’s nursing training last year. According to the news agency AFP, the decision of the Taliban government was pronounced at a meeting of health officials in Kabul in December 2024.
According to a Health Ministry official in Afghanistan, no official statement came in the matter, but during the meeting they were told that women and girls cannot study in these institutions. No reason was given.
This decision of the Taliban has a profound impact on Afghanistan. The country is already struggling with lack of medical and paramedical staff.
Following the Taliban’s decision, a video went viral on social media, in which medical students are seen crying to each other.
Women ban on doing jobs in NGOs
The Taliban government had ordered all national and foreign NGOs to stop women from giving employment in December 2024 Afghanistan. In a letter issued by the Economy Ministry, warned that if this order is not followed, the license of the concerned NGO would be canceled.
The Taliban had given such an order even three years ago, claiming that women were not following the Islamic hijab properly. Now women have been prevented from doing any kind of work in non-governmental institutions.
Recently Russia recognized the Taliban government
Russia has given official recognition to the Taliban power in Afghanistan. Russia has become the first country in the world to do so.
The announcement was made on 3 July after a meeting between Afghan Foreign Minister Aamir Khan Mottki in Kabul and Russia’s Ambassador Dimitri Jhirnov in Afghanistan.
The Taliban government has described Russia’s move as a brave decision. Mukki said in a video statement released after the meeting,
This courageous decision will be an example for others. Now the process of recognition has started, Russia was at the forefront.
Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Zia Ahmed Takl also confirmed AFP, saying that Russia is the first country to give official recognition to Islamic Emirates.
