Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders dismissed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) jurisdiction over the country, labeling their predecessors' 2003 decision to join the Hague-based court’s founding treaty as "unlawful."
The decision was made in responce to the ICC chief prosecutor's announcement last month seeking arrest warrants for the Taliban's supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, and a close associate, accusing them of being 'criminally responsible "for the persecution of Afghan women and girls."
Ruling as the Islamic Emirate, the Taliban authorities have enforced their strict interpretation of Sharia law, imposing widespread restrictions on free speech and severely limiting women's access to education and public roles.
No country has formally recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government, largely due to their oppressive treatment of women and girls.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as an entity that upholds the religious and national values of the Afghan people within the framework of Islamic Sharia, does not recognize any obligation to the Rome Statute or the institution referred to as the ‘International Criminal Court,’” the Taliban declared in an English-language statement.
The Taliban rejected the move, calling it politically motivated.
Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat criticized the ICC for not taking "substantive measures against the war crimes perpetrated in Afghanistan by occupying forces and their allies."
Thousands of women, children, elderly individuals, and even prisoners in captivity have been martyred, yet this ‘court’ has neither initiated investigations nor sought to prevent these acts of oppression,” he said.
“Given that many of the world's major powers are not signatories to this 'court,' it is unwarranted for a nation such as Afghanistan, which has historically endured foreign occupation and colonial subjugation, to be bound by its jurisdiction,” the Taliban asserted.
A government spokesperson quoted Akhundzada as stating that "every decree he issues is based on consultation with scholars and derived from the Quran and Hadith [sayings of Islam’s prophet] and represents commands of Allah.”
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Climate change has become a critical destabilizing factor in Afghanistan, worsening the country's already severe economic and social instability.
A mob attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Karachi has left one man dead, highlighting ongoing persecution of the minority group.
A Russian court has sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to nearly three years in prison for protesting the war in Ukraine using poetry and graffiti.
The new U.S. ambassador to Japan has called for closer military coordination with Tokyo, framing the alliance as crucial amid rising regional tensions and ongoing trade disputes.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Moscow.
A mob attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Karachi has left one man dead, highlighting ongoing persecution of the minority group.
A Russian court has sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to nearly three years in prison for protesting the war in Ukraine using poetry and graffiti.
The new U.S. ambassador to Japan has called for closer military coordination with Tokyo, framing the alliance as crucial amid rising regional tensions and ongoing trade disputes.
Students in Serbia have rallied outside a police station as Belgrade University’s rector is questioned over support for anti-government protests.
OpenAI has unveiled a new option called Flex processing, an API service designed to provide more affordable AI model usage in exchange for slower response times and occasional resource unavailability.
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