ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders
The ICC said there were grounds to believe that supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, chief justice of the Taliban, had committed the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds against girls, women and 'other persons non-conforming' with the Taliban's policy on gender, gender identity or expression, a statement from the UN court said.
'While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms,' the statement continued.
The Taliban had 'severely deprived' girls and women of the rights to education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion, ICC judges said.
'In addition, other persons were targeted because certain expressions of sexuality and/or gender identity were regarded as inconsistent with the Taliban's policy on gender.'
Taliban's response
The Hague-based court alleged the crimes took place from August 15, 2021, when the Taliban seized power, and endured until at least January 20, 2025.
The Taliban dismissed the warrants as 'nonsense' and that the ICC move 'won't affect the strong commitment and dedication to sharia (Islamic law)', spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.
The purpose of the ICC
The ICC was created to pass judgement on the world's worst crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court has no police force of its own and relies on member states to carry out its arrest warrants.
In theory, this means anyone subject to an ICC arrest warrant cannot travel to a member state for fear of being detained. In practice, this has not always been the case.
Since returning to power four years ago, the Taliban have imposed measures that include the banning of women from public places and prohibiting girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade.
Last week, Russia became the first country to formally recognise the Taliban regime.
In recent years the ICC also has sought the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
DW
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
8 hours ago
- Observer
EU blasts Russia's attacks, threatens new sanctions
BRUSSELS: The EU's top diplomat on Friday slammed Russia's latest blitz on Ukraine as "unacceptable", saying the 27-nation bloc was pondering a new raft of sanctions against Moscow. Russia has pummelled Ukraine this week with the largest drone and missile barrages since Moscow sent troops into its neighbour more than three years ago. "Russia has increased its attacks against civilians to really cause as much pain... and that's unacceptable," European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. Brussels was considering an 18th round of sanctions against Moscow and "we are also still in negotiations to put the oil price cap on, that would deprive Russia from the means to fund this war," Kallas said in an interview. Kallas was speaking on the sidelines of a regional meeting of foreign ministers in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, saying her presence was aimed at "doing outreach so that we can put more pressure together" on Russia. Asked about reported claims that Moscow was planning to involve military personnel from Laos to bolster its efforts in Ukraine, Kallas said she raised the issue with Vientiane's top diplomat in a meeting on Friday. Kallas said she was assured that Laos had "no intention or willingness" to send military help to Russia. "I also expressed that it has consequences for European aid to Laos if something like this is happening," Kallas said. "If you (Laos) contribute to that existential threat, we can't have good cooperation," she warned. Kallas' remarks came a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had "frank" talks on the Ukraine war during a meeting on the sidelines of Asean. Rubio said Lavrov had shared new ideas on resolving the conflict, which he promised to present to US President Donald Trump, but played down the prospect of a breakthrough. US tariffs have also overshadowed the Asean gathering. Asked whether she would meet Rubio to discuss Washington's tariff plans for Brussels, Kallas said "we didn't have a chance to interact." "Our trade team is working very hard to come up with the solution and also to have agreements." "But we are not there yet," she said. Kaja Kallas The EU was hoping to strike a trade deal with Washington "in the coming days", a spokesman said on Wednesday. If the EU does not clinch an agreement with the United States, higher tariffs will return and risk unleashing a bitter trade war. The EU expected Trump to keep a 10-per cent baseline tariff on EU goods with exemptions for critical sectors, European diplomats said. Also at the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was Australia's top diplomat Penny Wong, who equally condemned Russia's latest attacks. "We want the conflict resolved on Ukrainian terms, and we want to see Russia reflect on the position it is taking, which is in breach of international law," Wong told a news conference. Following this week's overnight strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged allies to quickly roll out fresh sanctions against Moscow. Meanwhile, Russia said on Friday it would close Poland's consulate in Kaliningrad, a Moscow exclave near Poland and Lithuania, after Warsaw decided to shut the Russian consulate in Krakow. Diplomatic ties between Moscow and Warsaw have been historically strained and frayed further over Russia's offensive in Ukraine, which Poland is supporting politically and with military aid. In May, Poland ordered the Russian consulate in the southern city of Krakow shut after authorities accused Moscow of orchestrating a fire that destroyed a Warsaw shopping centre last year. Poland — a Nato and European Union member — is one of the main countries through which Western nations supply weapons and ammunition to Kyiv. Russia vowed an "adequate response" and on Friday the foreign ministry said it was "withdrawing consent for the functioning of the Consulate General of Poland in Kaliningrad from August 29". It also said Poland's charge d'affaires in Russia was summoned and handed a formal note announcing the move. "This step was caused by the unfounded and hostile actions of the Polish side, expressed in the reduction of the Russian consular presence on the territory of Poland," it added. — AFP
Observer
16 hours ago
- Observer
The Palestinian struggle: History's cruelty and the logic of brutality
The current Israeli leadership appears in no hurry to end the campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people. On the contrary, it proceeds with arrogance and cruelty, descending into ever darker depths of brutality not seen since the massacres in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995, the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes, and the atrocities committed by American forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Every day, hundreds of Palestinian martyrs fall - mostly children and women - yet their deaths are reduced to a passing item in international news coverage. Some Arab and Gulf media outlets even report such tragedies timidly, towards the end of their bulletins, perhaps after segments on the 'heat issue with the latest iPhone", or a celebrity break-up, or the latest Elie Saab fashion collection. This media behaviour is, unfortunately, unsurprising. It is consistent with the Israeli doctrine of power, sustained by Washington's political, military and logistical backing. The Israeli government continues its campaign of destruction and assassinations, seeking to erase the Palestinian cause from regional and global discourse through bombardment, starvation and siege. Such acts have become the very identity of the Israeli regime in its dealings with Palestinians, Arabs and Iranians — turning Palestinians into the diasporic tragedy of our age, scattered in refugee camps and exiled across the globe, reduced to a footnote on the margins of the Zionist project and the ambitions of some of its regional allies. The Guardian reported on July 7, 2025 that the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change has joined the post-war planning for Gaza. The plans include building a 'Trump Riviera' and an industrial zone named after Elon Musk, in partnership with Israeli businessmen. These proposals fall under US President Donald Trump's vision of turning occupied Palestinian land into a commercial resort. Meanwhile, the Palestinian political landscape remains fractured. The President of the Palestinian Authority has gone so far as to demand that Hamas lay down its arms - a move interpreted by many as a prelude to their extermination at the hands of Israeli forces. This signals the Palestinian leadership's continued entrapment in the mindset of factionalism, rather than adopting a unified ideology and strategy for comprehensive resistance. Their banners have become scattered, their voices fragmented by the agendas of regional patrons, foreign sponsors and ideological opportunists - unlike many historic liberation movements around the world. The wider Arab world is witnessing a surreal collapse. It is a descent into chaos not seen since the region gained independence following the Second World War. Still, an ironic twist in this grim context is the growing wave of ethical outrage in Europe, where public pressure is beginning to influence political discourse. Slogans such as 'Death to the IDF' have emerged. Western governments - some for the first time - are voicing criticism against the Israeli government. Even in the US, shifts in public sentiment suggest that the long-standing narrative around Israel and Palestine is beginning to unravel. Despite the bleak present - military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, apartheid walls, discriminatory laws, forced displacement, and the transformation of Gaza into the world's largest open-air prison - Israel is facing existential dilemmas. Its international isolation is deepening, and global human rights groups, including war crimes tribunals, are increasingly describing its conduct as genocidal. Internally, Israeli society is fragmenting. Political and societal divisions are widening, extremist factions have risen to power, and public trust in the state and its leadership is eroding. In contrast, a new generation of Palestinians is rising - fearless, with nothing left to lose, and unwilling to settle for anything less than dignity, justice and the right of return. Israel, as a colonial occupying force that thrives on violence, exclusion and American support, is not immune to collapse. The Middle East, with its storms and uprisings, offers many lessons. No state built on the ruins of an entire people can enjoy lasting security or peace. The recent Iranian ballistic missile strike on Tel Aviv stands as a stark reminder of the region's volatility and the price of injustice. YAHYA AL AUFI The writer is an Omani writer and translator Translated by Badr Al Dhafri The original version of this article was published in 'Oman' Arabic print edition of the newspaper on July 10
Observer
2 days ago
- Observer
Deadly Russian attack rocks Kyiv before US-Russian talks
Hundreds of Russian drones and more than a dozen missiles targeted Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions in a second massive air attack in two days early on Thursday ahead of what the US and Russia said were "frank" talks between them on ending the war. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after speaking with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during an Asean meeting in Kuala Lumpur, said he had reinforced President Donald Trump's message that Moscow should have shown more flexibility. "We need to see a roadmap moving forward about how this conflict can conclude," Rubio said, adding that the Trump administration had been engaging with the US Senate on what new sanctions on Russia might look like. "It was a frank conversation. It was an important one," Rubio said after the 50-minute talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met allies in Rome to lobby for critical weapons and investment, said Thursday's assault had involved around 400 drones and 18 missiles, primarily targeting the capital. Two people were killed, 23 were wounded and damage reported in nearly every district of Kyiv. Explosions and anti-aircraft machine gun fire rattled the city. Windows were blown out, facades ravaged and cars burned to shells, including in the city centre where an apartment in an eight-storey building was engulfed in flames. "This is terror because it happens every night when people are asleep," said Karyna Volf, a 25-year-old Kyiv resident who rushed out of her apartment moments before shards of glass showered her home. Ukrainian air defences stopped all but a few dozen of the drones, authorities said, a day after Russia launched a record 728 drones at Ukraine. People leave a shelter with their belongings near a damaged shopping centre after a night of Russian strikes in Kyiv amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. — AFP Escalating Russian strikes in recent weeks have strained Ukraine's air defences at a time when its troops are facing renewed pressure on the front line, and forced residents in Kyiv and across the country to seek cover in bomb shelters. "Residential buildings, vehicles, warehouse facilities, offices and non-residential buildings are on fire," said Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, on the Telegram messaging app. Russia's Defence Ministry said it had hit "military-industrial" targets in Kyiv as well as military airfields. Zelensky urged European allies to "much more actively" use Russian assets frozen during the war for Ukrainian reconstruction and was also seeking critical weapons, joint defence production and investment at the conference in Rome. Conference participants pledged over $11.7 billion to help rebuild Ukraine, said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The European Commission announced $2.7 billion in support. The commitments come after Washington resumed deliveries to Ukraine of artillery shells and precision artillery missiles, according to two US officials, following Trump's pledge this week to send more defensive arms to Kyiv. Trump has also signalled willingness to send more Patriot air-defence missiles that have proven critical to defending against fast-moving Russian ballistic missiles. Zelensky, who said he had a "substantive" talk with US envoy Keith Kellogg on Wednesday, will also meet American officials to discuss potential new US sanctions on Russia, Ukraine's foreign minister said. — Reuters
