The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Kareem Khanhas demanded this Thursday that the organization issue orders of arrest against the supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Hebatullah Ajundzadaand the head of Afghanistan’s judicial apparatus, Abdulhakim Haqqaniof course crimes against humanity related to the ‘gender-based persecution’ against Afghan women.
Khan has indicated in a statement published by his office that he has submitted these requests after his investigations have determined that “there are reasonable grounds” to consider that Ajundzada and Haqqani “have criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of gender-based persecution“.
“My office has concluded that These two Afghan citizens are criminally responsible for persecuting Afghan girls and womenas well as people who the Taliban perceive as failing to meet their ideological expectations regarding gender identity or expression or what they perceive as allies of girls and women,” she said.
Thus, it has stressed that “this persecution has been committed since at least August 15, 2021 –date on which fundamentalists took the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, after the flight of the then president, Ashraf Ghani– until today’s date throughout Afghanistan.”
