ICC Pursues Arrest of Taliban Leaders for Women’s Rights Violations

• Arrest warrants have been issued for top Taliban officials in Afghanistan.
• ICC judges criticize the Taliban for violating women’s fundamental rights.
• The court claims these alleged crimes occurred after the Taliban regained control.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Tuesday that it has issued arrest warrants for high-ranking Taliban leaders in Afghanistan over the persecution of women, which is categorized as a crime against humanity.

According to a statement from the ICC judges, there are “reasonable grounds” to suspect that Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani have committed the crime of persecution on the basis of gender.

“Although the Taliban have imposed various regulations on the entire population, there has been a specific focus on targeting girls and women due to their gender, denying them fundamental rights and freedoms,” the court remarked.

The court noted that these alleged crimes took place between August 15, 2021—when the Taliban took control—and are believed to have continued through at least January 20, 2025.

The Taliban have “severely restricted” the rights of girls and women regarding education, privacy, and family life, as well as freedoms related to movement, expression, thought, conscience, and religion, according to ICC judges.

Furthermore, the court stated that individuals were also targeted for expressing certain aspects of sexual orientation or gender identity that contradicted the Taliban’s policies on gender.

Headquartered in The Hague, the ICC was established to address the most serious global crimes, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The ICC does not have its own police force and depends on member states to enforce its arrest warrants, which has had varying degrees of success.

In theory, this means that anyone subject to an ICC arrest warrant should avoid visiting any member state to prevent arrest.