Taliban reject ICC arrest warrants, call court’s authority illegitimate

Taliban on Tuesday rejected the International Criminal Court’s issuance of arrest warrants for two of their leaders, dismissing the move as illegitimate and accusing the court of bias and double standards.

In a statement issued by a spokesman, Taliban said they do not recognize the authority of what they called a “so-called international court” and declared that the ICC’s allegations would have no bearing on the “firm will” or “Islamic stance” of their leadership.

“We do not recognize any institution by the name or title of the ‘International Court,’ nor do we accept any obligation to it,” the statement read. “Such baseless declarations will not affect our resolve.”

The response came after the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber II announced arrest warrants for Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the Taliban’s chief justice. The court said it had found reasonable grounds to believe the two men were responsible for crimes against humanity, including gender persecution and politically motivated repression, since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.

In its decision, the court cited systematic violations of rights — particularly against women and girls — including bans on education, work, and freedom of movement, as well as broader acts of violence and intimidation. The court emphasized that those seen as “allies of women and girls” had also been targeted, and that the policies amounted to a government-directed campaign of persecution.

The Taliban statement rejected these characterizations, defending their rule as one based on Islamic principles. It claimed that the movement had established “unprecedented justice” in Afghanistan through the implementation of Islamic law.

The statement further criticized the ICC for what it described as silence in the face of ongoing violence in Gaza, accusing international institutions of hypocrisy. “It is shameful to speak of human rights, justice, and international courts while genocide is being committed in Gaza, where hundreds of innocent women and children are killed daily before the eyes of these very courts,” the statement said.

The Taliban also described the court’s allegations as an attack on Islamic law, saying that threats to prosecute officials implementing Islamic legal rulings amounted to “an insult to the beliefs of Muslims worldwide.”

The ICC warrants for Akhundzada and Haqqani remain formally sealed to protect witnesses, though the court publicly disclosed their existence, citing the ongoing nature of the alleged crimes and the need to deter further violations.

It remains unlikely that either official will be surrendered to The Hague. Afghanistan is not a party to the Rome Statute, which governs the ICC, though the court claims jurisdiction over crimes committed on Afghan territory.

The warrants mark the first time the ICC has publicly targeted senior Taliban leaders, amid growing international criticism of their treatment of women and suppression of civil rights since retaking power nearly four years ago.