International Criminal Court Unseals Arrest Warrants For Four Taliban Leaders Accused Of Gender Persecution Crimes Against Humanity in Afghanistan

The International Criminal Court has publicly unsealed arrest warrants against four senior Taliban leaders on 5 October, accusing them of systematically persecuting women, girls and gender-non-conforming individuals through policies implemented since the Taliban’s seizure of power in August 2021.

The warrants, issued between July and September 2025 but previously sealed, target Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, Afghanistan’s Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Education Minister Habibullah Agha, and Minister of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadim on charges of gender persecution constituting crimes against humanity.

ICC judges determined there existed “reasonable grounds to believe” all four suspects are criminally responsible for ordering, inducing or soliciting persecution under the Rome Statute whilst acting on behalf of the Taliban government.

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ICC judges identified that Taliban policies “resulted in severe violations of fundamental rights and freedoms of the civilian population of Afghanistan, in connection with conducts of murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and enforced disappearance.” The warrants documented that since assuming governmental authority, the Taliban have systematically barred women and girls from employment, public spaces, and educational opportunities beyond sixth form, establishing institutional mechanisms for systematic gender-based discrimination.