ICC Unseals Arrest Warrants for Four Taliban Leaders Over Gender Persecution
The disclosure details allegations that senior Afghan officials committed crimes against humanity by systematically stripping women and sexual minorities of their fundamental rights.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague unsealed arrest warrants on Monday for four senior Taliban leaders accused of crimes against humanity. Judges stated that the suspects directed a systematic policy of gender persecution against Afghan women, girls and sexual minorities.
The warrants name Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani. The court also seeks the arrest of Education Minister Habibullah Agha and Higher Education Minister Neda Mohammad Nadim.
Judges found reasonable grounds to believe all four officials bear criminal responsibility for ordering or encouraging the severe deprivation of fundamental rights. The court stated that the alleged crimes took place between August 2021, when the Taliban seized power, and January 2025.
The tribunal charged the leaders with persecuting women and people whose gender identity or expression defied Taliban rules, including LGBTQI+ individuals. Judges also identified persecution on political grounds against people perceived as allies of Afghan girls and women.
According to the warrants, the regime enforced nationwide decrees that severely restricted education, privacy, family life and freedom of movement. The court linked these discriminatory state measures to documented acts of murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and enforced disappearance.
Under Taliban governance, authorities barred girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and replaced female secondary school teachers with men. The administration also banned women from universities, excluded them from paid employment and prohibited them from visiting parks.
The judges stated that international law defines gender beyond biological sex. They noted that evaluating persecution requires assessing socially constructed roles, behaviors and expectations traditionally assigned to individuals because of their sex.
Pre-Trial Chamber II originally approved the warrants against Akhundzada and Haqqani in July 2025. The judges issued the warrants for Agha and Nadim under seal that September. The panel decided to publish redacted versions to inform victims and encourage international cooperation.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the announcement and rejected the authority of the court. He stated that the Afghan government recognizes only Islamic law and considers decisions from international tribunals entirely meaningless.
The court possesses no police force of its own and depends on member states to execute arrests. Prosecutors continue their broader investigation into crimes in Afghanistan, while member countries are now legally obliged to detain the suspects upon entry.
