THE HAGUE, Netherlands — For a few hours last week, the International Criminal Court looked poised to take a Libyan warlord into custody. Instead, member state Italy sent the head of a notorious network of detention centers back home.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor said on Thursday he had applied for arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders in Afghanistan including supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, accusing them of the persecution of women and girls.

Senate Democrats blocked consideration of legislation sanctioning the International Criminal Court for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli leaders after failing to reach an agreement with Republicans to narrow the legislation.

Supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court chief Abdul Hakim Haqqani accused of crimes against humanity

Prosecutor Karim Khan says there are reasonable grounds to believe two leaders responsible for ‘crime against humanity’.

In contrast, the Russian Federation has been referred to as an “imitation democracy”. It has institutions that one would find in democratic systems of government (a parliament and a directly elected president). But, among other flaws, these institutions do not function within a genuinely competitive or fair electoral environment.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed to take his country’s ties with Russia to a new level this year in a video conference with counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, hours after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.

The intergovernmental organization has issued 32 unsealed arrest warrants and its suspects range from the Israel prime minister and Russian President to Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony and G

Karim Khan said in a statement he asked judges to approve warrants for the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhunzada, and the head of Afghanistan's Supreme Court, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing the men of crimes against humanity for gender-based persecution.

Nevertheless, Putin’s New Year’s message remained upbeat. He looked ahead to the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Germany in World War II, assuring the nation of its strength.

It has been a year since Armenia acceded to the Rome Statute, marking a new institutional chapter for the country. The decision to join the ICC reflects Armenia’s desire to align with international standards of justice and accountability.

Both leaders are implicated in the systemic persecution of Afghan women, girls, and those perceived as allies of women