RASC News Agency: In the wake of arrest warrants issued for Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the chief justice of the Taliban’s Supreme Court, by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), various human rights organizations and Afghanistani citizens have expressed resounding support for the decision. Human Rights Watch lauded the warrants, characterizing them as a “resounding affirmation of the pursuit of justice.” Fereshteh Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated: “Over the past three and a half years, the Taliban have methodically stripped Afghanistani women and girls of their fundamental rights. It is long overdue for them to be held accountable for these grave violations.” She further urged the ICC to expand its investigations to include other egregious abuses, encompassing those perpetrated by international military forces and the Taliban.
Simultaneously, Shabnam Nasimi, a British-Afghanistani activist and co-founder of the Network of Friends of Afghanistani Women, underscored the necessity of justice mechanisms not only to hold perpetrators accountable but also to prioritize the restoration of fundamental rights for Afghanistani women. Nasimi emphasized: “Without concrete outcomes, such as a guaranteed right to education for Afghanistani girls, international legal actions will bring little solace to those enduring the Taliban’s tyranny within Afghanistan.” Although no country officially recognizes the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, nations such as Russia, China, and Pakistan have maintained diplomatic engagements with the group.
Tolerance, a human rights organization, praised the warrants as a “landmark step toward justice after decades of impunity.” The organization stressed the global significance of this development for gender justice, noting that it marks an initial but transformative step for survivors and victims in Afghanistan. Shahzad Akbar, the head of Tolerance, stated: “After decades of unchecked injustice, this is a historic turning point. This must be the start of an unrelenting pursuit of justice a crucial first step. We eagerly anticipate more arrest warrants, trials, and the eventual shaming of all those complicit in these atrocities.”
These responses follow the announcement by Karim Khan, the ICC Prosecutor, who issued arrest warrants for Akhundzada and Haqqani, accusing them of crimes against humanity. The charges spotlight the systematic oppression and heinous acts committed under the Taliban’s rule, particularly targeting Afghanistani women and girls.
