Taliban govt rejects ICC arrest warrant as 'politically motivated'

Afghanistan’s Taliban government denounced the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to seek arrest warrants against its leaders, calling the move politically driven and unfair.

In a statement on Friday, the Taliban's Foreign Ministry accused the ICC of double standards and ignoring crimes committed by foreign forces during the two-decade U.S.-led occupation of Afghanistan.

"Like many other decisions of the (ICC), it is devoid of a fair legal basis, is a matter of double standards, and is politically motivated," read the statement, posted on social media platform X.

The ICC’s chief prosecutor announced the warrants on Thursday, citing crimes against humanity, specifically the persecution of women under Taliban rule.

The group returned to power in 2021, enforcing severe restrictions on women’s rights under a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

The Taliban said the court was imposing a biased view of human rights, disregarding Afghanistan’s cultural and religious values.

Mohammad Nabi Omari, Afghanistan’s deputy interior minister and a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, dismissed the ICC's actions, saying, "The ICC can't scare us." Speaking in Khost, he accused the court of overlooking the United States’ role in global conflicts and war crimes.

Omari also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing civilian casualties in Gaza following the October 2023 conflict sparked by Hamas attacks. "They should have brought Israel’s prime minister to the court," he said.

The ICC has not responded to the Taliban’s statements, but the court’s move reflects growing international concerns over the erosion of women’s rights in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover.