The Taliban administration declared Afghanistan’s accession to the Rome Statute as “devoid of legal validity,” asserting that it has no obligations to the International Criminal Court (ICC). This response follows ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for arrest warrants against Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and interim Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani over alleged crimes against humanity. The Taliban dismissed the move as politically motivated.
Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat criticized the ICC for failing to prosecute foreign forces for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. He accused the court of ignoring mass killings, destruction of infrastructure, and civilian casualties caused by occupying forces, while unfairly targeting the Taliban. He also highlighted that major powers, including the US, are not ICC signatories, arguing that Afghanistan should not be bound by its jurisdiction.
Afghanistan joined the Rome Statute in 2003 under the Western-backed government following the 2001 US-led invasion. However, the Taliban, which regained control in August 2021 after the collapse of Ashraf Ghani’s administration, does not recognize the country’s prior commitments to the ICC. The group maintains that it will not comply with any rulings or investigations from the court.
