International arrest warrant issued for Taliban leader Akhundzada over persecution of LGBTQIA+ and gender minorities
The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Ahmad Khan, has announced two arrest warrants for Afghan Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Afghan Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani for crimes against humanity, namely gender-based persecution and homophobia.
This is a historic decision as it is the first time that homophobia has been mentioned in an international arrest warrant.
The warrant concerns the persecution of Afghan women and girls who do not conform to ideological laws on gender identity or expression. Victims of the Taliban regime have been subjected to numerous severe deprivations of their fundamental rights. This began on 15 August 2021 and continues to this day across Afghanistan with a severe crackdown on anti-Taliban opposition through killings, imprisonment, torture, rape (and other forms of sexual violence), abductions and other inhumane and unlawful acts.
It will now be up to the ICC judges to decide whether to grant Prosecutor Khan’s request. This is a process that could take weeks or even months.