ICC issues arrest warrants for top Taliban leaders over persecution of women, girls

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, and Afghanistan’s top judge, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, on charges of systemic persecution of women and girls since the group returned to power nearly four years ago.

In a landmark move, the ICC accused the two senior Taliban figures of crimes against humanity, specifically targeting women and girls through policies that deny them basic rights, education, and freedom of movement. The court also cited persecution of individuals “non-conforming with the Taliban’s policy on gender, gender identity or expression,” as well as politically motivated repression of those perceived to be allies of women and girls.

The warrants mark the first time the global court has taken legal action directly against the Taliban leadership for gender-based persecution, adding further international pressure on the regime in Kabul.

Since retaking control in August 2021, the Taliban have systematically dismantled women’s rights in Afghanistan, barring girls from secondary schools, shuttering beauty salons, excluding women from most workplaces, and restricting their movement without a male guardian.