International
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court asks for arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders for gender persecution in Afghanistan
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, requested on Thursday the judges to approve two arrest warrants, one against the supreme leader of the Taliban, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and another against the president of the Supreme Court, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, for persecution on gender reasons in Afghanistan.
The prosecutor claims to have “reasonable reasons” to consider both “criminally responsible” for a crime against humanity throughout the territory of Afghanistan since August 15, 2021 for persecuting Afghan girls and women, and people whom the Taliban perceived as “not in accordance with their ideological expectations of identity or gender expression,” or “as allies of girls and women.”
“This ongoing persecution entails numerous and serious deprivations of the fundamental rights of victims, contrary to international law, including the right to physical integrity and autonomy, freedom of movement and expression, education, private and family life and freedom of assembly,” Khan denounced.
In addition, the prosecutor stressed that perceived resistance or opposition to the Taliban “was, and is, brutally repressed by committing crimes that include murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, enforced disappearance and other inhumane acts.”
These are the first arrest warrants requested by the prosecutor as part of his investigation into serious crimes in Afghanistan, although he assures that he will “soon file more requests for other senior Taliban officials.”
Among the evidence his office is audiovisual material, official decrees, forensic reports, as well as testimonies from experts and witnesses, and statements from the suspects themselves and other representatives of the Taliban.
“These requests recognize that Afghan women and girls, as well as the LGBTQI+ community, face unprecedented, inadmissible and ongoing persecution by the Taliban. Our action indicates that the status quo for women and girls in Afghanistan is not acceptable. Afghan survivors, particularly women and girls, deserve to be held accountable to a court of justice,” the prosecutor warned.
At the end of November, Chile, Costa Rica, Spain, France, Luxembourg and Mexico expressed their “concern about the serious deterioration of the human rights situation in Afghanistan, especially for women and girls” and asked the prosecutor to consider “the crimes against women and girls” committed by the Taliban.
Khan assured them that gender persecution is already included in his investigation and promised to announce results “soon.”
“The interpretation of Sharia by the Taliban should not and cannot be used to justify the deprivation of fundamental human rights or the commission of related crimes contemplated in the Rome Statute (ICC treaty),” he warned on Thursday, waiting for the judges to authorize the arrest warrants against the Taliban leaders.
In 2020, the ICC prosecutor’s office obtained unanimous authorization from judges to begin investigating alleged crimes committed in the territory of Afghanistan since 1 May 2003, as well as crimes related to the armed conflict and the situation in Afghanistan, which were committed in the territory of other States party to the ICC since July 2002.
The previous Afghan government challenged the admissibility of the investigation, but on October 31, 2022, after the Taliban seized power, the prosecutor’s office has resumed the case and “has been carrying out an independent, impartial and solid investigation” of the crimes in Afghanistan.
However, Khan will only focus his efforts on investigating the crimes allegedly committed by the Taliban and the Islamic State subsidiary (IS-Khorasan) group, leaving other aspects in the background, such as the alleged crimes committed by American soldiers.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
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