Overview

• On July 8 the ICC issued warrants for Haibatullah Akhunzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing them of crimes against humanity targeting women and girls.
• Prosecutor Karim Khan’s January request was formally approved by judges after evidence review of abuses from the Taliban’s August 2021 takeover through January 2025.
• The charges cite systematic deprivation of girls’ and women’s rights to education, movement, expression and religion alongside allegations of murder, torture, rape and enforced disappearances.
• The Taliban government has rejected the ICC’s authority and continues to protect the accused, while Afghanistan remains outside the Rome Statute.
• Practical enforcement depends on cooperation from more than 120 member states to detain the fugitives if they travel abroad.