‘Violation of Fundamental Rights’: ICC cracks on the Taliban; Supreme leader, Chief Justice Nominated

The international criminal court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for two senior Taliban leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity to persecute women, girls and others who defined the strict gender policies of the group. The highest leader of the Taliban, and Chief Justice of Governance, Abdul Hakim Hakkani, a warrant named Hibatullah Akhundzada.According to a statement by ICC’s Pre-Tial Chamber II, “the appropriate basis to believe” that both men were responsible for ordering, motivating or pleading for the crimes of harassment on gender and political grounds. These crimes took place in Afghanistan since 15 August 2021 – when the Taliban seized power through at least 20 January 2025.The Chamber said, “While the Taliban has overall some rules and prohibitions on the population, they have specifically targeted girls and women due to their gender, deprived of fundamental rights and freedom,” the Chamber said.The ICC expanded a broad and ongoing pattern of Daman, stating that the Taliban “, through girls and women of education, confidentiality and family life rights, was severely denied, and movement, expression, thoughts, conscience and freedom of religion.” The court also highlighted abuses against those who were separated from “girls and women allies”, as well as individuals whose gender identity or sexual expression was separated from the Taliban norms.Judges stated that gender harassment under Article 7 (1) (H) of ROM law included not only direct violence, but also “damage to systemic and institutional forms”, such as enforcement of discriminatory social norms. He concluded, as a result of “severe and systemic violations of fundamental rights” in Afghanistan.Although arrest warrant remains subjected to seals to protect the victims and witnesses, the court stated that it was to publicly confirm their existence in the interests of justice. Judges said that public awareness “may contribute to the prevention of further commission of these crimes.”