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July 9, 2025 – The Hague – The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity for their role in the systemic persecution of women and girls in Afghanistan.
The warrants target Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, citing their enforcement of policies that, according to the Court, violate fundamental rights, including access to education, freedom of movement, expression, religion, and family life. The ICC found reasonable grounds to believe that women and girls have been deliberately subjected to more severe restrictions solely on the basis of their gender.
Under Article 7(h) of the Rome Statute, the persecution of any identifiable group, including on gender grounds, constitutes a crime against humanity.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the group has enacted sweeping legal and social restrictions, particularly targeting women and girls. Among the measures cited by the ICC are bans on education beyond sixth grade for girls, the dismissal of hundreds of female judges, and prohibitions on women working in the legal sector or seeking justice through courts.
The arrest warrants obligate all 124 Rome Statute signatory states to arrest and surrender Akhundzada and Haqqani should they enter their territories. However, with the Taliban currently in de facto control of Afghanistan—also a signatory—enforcement within the country remains unlikely unless the individuals travel abroad.
This marks a significant legal and symbolic step by the ICC in holding state and non-state actors accountable for gender-based persecution under international law.
Excerpts from jurist.org article by Conor Doran | U. College Cork School of Law, IE
