Afghan Women’s Movement in Exile: Issuance of Arrest Warrants for Taliban Leaders Is a Legal Step Toward Justice

The Afghan Women’s Movement in Exile, led by Farzana Rezai, has released a statement in response to the issuance of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the head of the group’s Supreme Court. The statement describes this action as “a hopeful step toward justice, accountability, and formal recognition of the crimes committed against the people of Afghanistan, especially women.”

The movement emphasized that the issuance of the warrants should not be merely symbolic. Instead, it must be accompanied by the establishment of an independent and international judicial committee—an entity that can expedite the investigation and prosecution processes and prevent political efforts to legitimize the Taliban.

Earlier, the ICC had announced that its Pre-Trial Chamber II had issued arrest warrants on Tuesday for the two senior Taliban officials on charges of "crimes against humanity."