Purple Saturdays Movement Supports the Issuance of Arrest Warrants for Taliban Leaders

In a statement released on Saturday (January 25), the movement also called for the confirmation of the request to issue arrest warrants for Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani.

The movement stated that this action has created deep fear and concern among the Taliban and is an important step toward achieving international justice and protecting human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

However, the movement emphasized the need to pursue legal action against all Taliban leaders, without distinction between "good" and "bad," and has called for the issuance of arrest warrants and prosecution for Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's Interior Minister, Mullah Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the Minister of Higher Education, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the Minister for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, and Mullah Abdul Hakim Shari, the group's Justice Minister.

According to the movement, these individuals are accused of committing widespread crimes against humanity and being involved in suicide and bomb attacks that have claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people, including women and children.

The movement, expressing concern that the request for arrest warrants against Taliban officials may become symbolic, has urged the International Criminal Court and its member countries to take effective steps to implement this warrant and prosecute the Taliban leaders.

The Purple Saturdays Movement also supports increasing restrictive measures and economic and financial sanctions against the Taliban and has called on the ICC to issue a ruling for the confiscation of assets and properties of Taliban leaders in various countries, especially Pakistan.

In another part of the statement, the movement pointed out that the rights of Afghan women are not limited to the right to education. The movement emphasized that women's rights and freedoms should not be confined to one specific aspect, as this approach may indirectly yield to the Taliban and further oppress Afghan women.

The Purple Saturdays Movement concluded by urging the international community not to hold Afghanistan-related meetings, particularly concerning women, without the participation of real women representatives, especially those inside the country who are on the frontlines in the fight against the Taliban.

The movement also called on Islamic countries, who have taken no significant action against the Taliban in the past three years, to stop supporting the group under the guise of engagement. Instead, they should recognize gender apartheid against Afghan women through meaningful and practical steps and issue religious rulings against the Taliban.

Finally, the Purple Saturdays Movement stressed that "The Taliban are not changeable, and to end the gradual death of the Afghan people, especially women, vulnerable communities, and religious minorities, the self-proclaimed Taliban regime must be overthrown, and a democratic and decentralized system should be established as the best alternative."