ICC Seeks Arrest Warrants for Taliban Leaders Over Gender-Based Crimes

The International Criminal Court is pursuing charges of crimes against humanity for the persecution of Afghan women and girls under Taliban rule.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan has requested arrest warrants for Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, citing gender-based persecution as a crime against humanity.
The charges focus on severe restrictions imposed on Afghan women and girls, including bans on education, employment, and public presence, as well as broader persecution of LGBTQI+ individuals.
The Taliban's actions, described by the UN as 'gender apartheid,' have erased women from public life, with measures such as barring them from secondary education, closing beauty salons, and restricting their movement without male supervision.
The ICC's request will be reviewed by judges in The Hague, a process that could take weeks or months, and relies on cooperation from member states for enforcement due to the court's lack of its own police force.
Human rights advocates and international organizations have praised the move as a critical step toward accountability for the Taliban's systemic abuses against women and marginalized groups.