ICC prosecutor seeks arrest of Taliban leaders for persecution of Afghan women

The ICC tries people for humanity's worst crimes.

The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan on Thursday said he is seeking arrest warrants for Taliban leaders accused of persecuting women. Since the militant group regained power in Afghanistan it has imposed heavy restrictions that almost entirely exclude women and girls from public life.

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor on Thursday said he was seeking arrest warrants against senior Taliban leaders in Afghanistan over the persecution of women, a crime against humanity.

Karim Khan said there were reasonable grounds to suspect that Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani "bear criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds".

Khan said that Afghan women and girls, as well as the LGBTQ community, were facing "an unprecedented, unconscionable and ongoing persecution" by the Taliban.

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"Our action signals that the status quo for women and girls in Afghanistan is not acceptable," added Khan.

ICC judges will now consider Khan's application before deciding whether to issue an arrest warrant -- a process that could take weeks or even months.

The court, based in The Hague, was set up to rule on the world's worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

(AFP)


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