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ICC prosecutor seeks arrest of Taliban leaders over situation in Afghanistan

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) has requested arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders in Afghanistan.

Chief Karim Khan is alleging the Taliban has committed crimes against humanity due to their discrimination of women and girls in the country.

Evidence was collected as part of investigations into supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani. The investigation suggests they “bear criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds”.

An issued statement says that Afghan women, girls and the LGBTQIA+ community are facing “an unprecedented, unconscionable and ongoing persecution” by the Taliban.

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The statement alleges the persecution began around the 15 August 2021 “across the territory of Afghanistan”.

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The ongoing persecution includes “numerous severe deprivations of victims’ fundamental rights, contrary to international law, including the right to physical integrity and autonomy, to free movement and free expression, to education, to private and family life, and to free assembly”.

United Nations has labelled these restrictions as “gender apartheid”, which include bans on employment, education and speaking in public.

The arrest warrant applications are being considered by ICC judges.

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