The Taliban government has announced that the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court (ICC) have no legal validity under its rule and that it does not consider itself bound by them.
In a statement released by the group, the Taliban claimed that the ICC operates based on political motives rather than principles of justice and fairness, and they do not agree with this approach.
This stance comes after the ICC recently issued arrest warrants for Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, and the head of the Taliban’s Supreme Court. The ICC has accused the Taliban of crimes against humanity due to widespread discrimination against women and girls.
The Taliban further asserted that the ICC has taken no effective action against war crimes committed by foreign forces in Afghanistan and other countries. They also questioned Afghanistan’s membership in the ICC, stating that many major world powers are not part of the court either.
Afghanistan joined the Rome Statute and became a member of the ICC in 2023. The Rome Statute, adopted in 1998, established the ICC to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.