ICC Issues Arrest Warrants for Top Taliban Leaders Over Gender Persecution

The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber concluded there is sufficient reason to believe that Akhundzada and Haqqani bear responsibility for these sweeping and systemic abuses, prompting the issuance of arrest warrants.

In a landmark decision hailed by human rights advocates worldwide, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for two of the most senior leaders of the Taliban — Haibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s reclusive supreme leader, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the regime’s chief justice. The warrants relate to their alleged roles in crimes against humanity, specifically the persecution of Afghan citizens on gender and political grounds.

The move is being praised as a historic stride towards justice for the Afghan people, particularly women and girls, who have endured nearly four years of draconian repression under the Taliban’s hardline regime.

Taliban’s Institutionalised Oppression Faces International Reckoning

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Afghanistan has become the only country in the world where women and girls are effectively barred from secondary and higher education, public spaces, and even basic employment. The regime has systematically stripped women of their rights to freedom of movement, expression, and bodily autonomy. Human rights experts describe these policies as an “institutionalised system of gender discrimination, oppression, domination, and persecution.”

The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber concluded there is sufficient reason to believe that Akhundzada and Haqqani bear responsibility for these sweeping and systemic abuses, prompting the issuance of arrest warrants.

A Message of Hope for Afghan Victims

A panel of UN-appointed human rights experts welcomed the announcement as a long-overdue acknowledgment of the suffering of millions of Afghans. “These arrest warrants mark a critical step forward for justice for the people of Afghanistan, especially women and girls,” the experts stated.

“It sends an important message that impunity will not last forever. To the victims and survivors, this action is a powerful affirmation that the international community sees, hears, and believes them. Their brave calls for action are at last being answered.”

The warrants represent one of the most significant legal moves yet taken against Taliban leaders by any international judicial body, and reflect growing momentum to hold perpetrators of gender-based violence accountable on the global stage.

Rome Statute Obligations: A Call to Action for ICC Member States

Human rights experts urged all State Parties to the Rome Statute — the foundational treaty of the ICC — to fulfill their obligations by cooperating in efforts to apprehend the wanted individuals. They also called for increased political, diplomatic, and financial support for the ICC and its ongoing investigations into Afghanistan and other conflict zones.

“The ICC is a key pillar in a broader system of accountability,” the statement read. “We call on all States, and in particular ICC Member States, to safeguard and support the Court and its independence and meet their obligations under the Rome Statute.”

The experts emphasized the need for coordinated and principled strategies to ensure long-term accountability for gross human rights violations and war crimes in Afghanistan. They also stressed that ICC action should be complemented by other international efforts, such as documentation initiatives, truth commissions, and survivor-centered justice frameworks.

A Warning Against Normalisation of the Taliban Regime

In a pointed message to the international community, the experts condemned any moves toward legitimising the Taliban regime. “These arrest warrants must also send a clear message to Member States that there should be no normalisation of a regime which so explicitly denies the fundamental rights and dignity of more than half of the country’s population,” they warned.

“To those who seek to lend legitimacy to the Taliban, we make it clear: you stand on the wrong side of history.”

The issuance of these warrants underscores the principle that political power and de facto control do not shield individuals from prosecution for crimes under international law. The international community is now watching to see whether the arrest warrants will be enforced — a test of global resolve in upholding justice and human rights.