GENEVA - Human rights experts* today welcomed the announcement by the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against two senior Taliban leaders - Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani - due to their alleged responsibility for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender and political grounds.
"These arrest warrants mark a critical step forward for justice for the people of Afghanistan, especially women and girls, who, for nearly four years, have borne the brunt of the Taliban's institutionalised system of gender discrimination, oppression, domination, and persecution," the experts said.
"It sends an important message that impunity will not last forever. To the victims and survivors, this action is a powerful affirmation that the international community sees, hears, and believes them. Their brave calls for action are at last being answered."
The experts reminded States Parties to the Rome Statute of their obligation to help bring the wanted men to justice, and called for increased political, diplomatic, and financial support for the Court and its ongoing investigations.
"The ICC is a key pillar in a broader system of accountability and plays a crucial role in ensuring accountability for the most serious international crimes," they said. "We call on all States and in particular ICC Member States, to safeguard and support the Court and its independence and meet their obligations under the Rome Statute."
The experts called for strengthened and sustained support for other, complementary initiatives to ensure accountability for gross human rights violations and international crimes in the country, as well as greater support for the people of Afghanistan. They particularly stressed the importance of a principled and coordinated strategy rooted in human rights.
"These arrest warrants must also send a clear message to Member States that there should be no normalisation of a regime which so explicitly denies the fundamental rights and dignity of more than half of the country's population," the experts said. "To those who seek to lend legitimacy to the Taliban we make it clear: you stand on the wrong side of history."
