The Taliban foreign minister has denounced the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for the group’s leader and chief justice, calling it “unjust” and “politically motivated.”

Amir Khan Muttaqi said the ICC’s ruling was “unenforceable” and claimed the Taliban bears no responsibility for it.

Speaking at a gathering at the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday, Muttaqi asserted that the group’s declaration of a general amnesty had saved hundreds of thousands of lives and ensured security across the country.

He also said the Taliban had begun what he described as a “constructive engagement agenda” with regional and international actors but had been met with threats instead of recognition.

Muttaqi reiterated the Taliban’s rejection of the court’s decision, stating that the group would not remain silent in the face of the arrest warrants and would voice its opposition globally.

On 7 July, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani. The court accuses the two of crimes against humanity, including the systematic persecution of women and girls in Afghanistan.

The ICC stated that there are reasonable grounds to believe the two senior Taliban figures committed crimes against humanity based on gender persecution.

Over the past four years, Akhundzada has issued dozens of decrees severely restricting Afghan women’s rights in both private and public life.