The International Criminal Court (ICC) has revealed the details of four arrest warrants targeting senior Taliban leaders. Judges state there are reasonable grounds to suspect these individuals ordered or facilitated the persecution of women, girls, and others who did not conform to the movement’s gender policies. The charges amount to crimes against humanity—specifically, gender-based persecution.
The warrants were issued in 2025, but their details remained classified until the ICC unsealed them on 5 October 2026.
Arrest Warrants Target Four Senior Taliban Officials
The accused include Taliban’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the head of the Taliban’s supreme court.
The other two individuals are Education Minister Habibullah Agha and Higher Education Minister Neda Mohammad Nadim. The ICC issued warrants for Akhundzada and Haqqani on 8 July 2025 and for Agha and Nadim on 9 September 2025.
The court said there is substantial evidence to suspect all four are criminally responsible for persecution based on gender, gender identity, or gender expression. The allegations also involve the political persecution of people perceived as allies of women and girls.
Judges Cite Systematic Policies
According to the ICC, these actions were not isolated incidents or individual decisions. Judges concluded the suspects acted on behalf of the Taliban, implementing government policies that led to severe violations of the basic rights of the Afghan population.
The court documents reference acts including killings, imprisonment, torture, rape, and enforced disappearances. These statements reflect the court’s decision and accusations against specific individuals, but are not final verdicts.
The court also noted that women and girls were deliberately deprived of basic rights and freedoms, particularly in education, freedom of movement, expression, thought, conscience, religion, and private and family life.
Taliban Also Targeted Those Who Opposed Gender Policies
The ICC’s investigation extends beyond women and girls. The court found that Taliban policies also targeted people whose gender identity or expression did not conform to Taliban rules.
Persecution also affected those considered “allies of women and girls.” According to the ICC, this included people who may not have publicly opposed discriminatory policies but were nevertheless perceived as opponents or supporters of affected groups.
Similar findings about the status of women in Afghanistan have previously been reported by Aktualizovane.sk, which has covered the restriction of rights for women and other groups in the country.
Women Lost Access to Education and Employment
The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, after which sweeping restrictions against women and girls were imposed.
According to the United Nations and other international organizations, Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are denied access to formal secondary education and women are barred from university study. In August 2026, UNICEF reported that since 2021, over 2.6 million girls have lost access to secondary education.
The restrictions also extend to employment, public movement, and other aspects of daily life. The UN warns these measures are leading to increasing exclusion of women from public and economic life in Afghanistan.
Aktualizovane.sk has also reported on United Nations data showing Afghan women face severe limitations in both education and employment. The Taliban is restricting women’s access to schooling and work.
The ICC Has Investigated Afghanistan for Years
The ICC has a long-standing investigation into the situation in Afghanistan, having been authorized to probe alleged crimes committed within the country and relating to the conflict.
The investigation was expanded to include crimes attributed to the Taliban. In January 2025, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan announced he had requested arrest warrants for Akhundzada and Haqqani on suspicions of gender-based persecution.
In July of that year, judges issued the warrants; now, the court has disclosed their contents and has also unsealed arrest warrants for two other Taliban officials.
Arrest Warrants Do Not Guarantee Immediate Detention
The mere issuance of an arrest warrant does not mean the suspects will be immediately detained. The ICC does not have its own police force to apprehend and deliver suspects to trial.
All four men remain at large according to the ICC. The Taliban continues to control Afghanistan, significantly complicating the execution of these warrants.
As a result, the International Criminal Court relies on cooperation from countries that are parties to the Rome Statute to carry out its decisions.
Case Could Influence Further Investigations
The unsealing of the warrants marks another step in the ICC’s efforts to document alleged crimes during the Taliban’s rule. The court emphasized that gender-motivated persecution includes not only direct violence but also systematic and institutionalized violations of basic rights.
The case highlights the distinction between regime-level policies and individual criminal accountability. Whether the accused can ultimately be brought before the court depends significantly on their accessibility to judicial authorities and state cooperation.
READ ALSO
Brussels opens dialogue with Taliban. EU in talks with Afghan movement on migrant deportations
This article was translated from the original Slovak version with the assistance of AI.
