The Hague, Netherlands – July 10, 2025 –
In a landmark decision, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for two high-ranking Taliban leaders: Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani. The warrants, publicly confirmed on July 8, 2025, accuse the two men of committing crimes against humanity, specifically the systematic persecution of women and girls in Afghanistan.
This move marks a significant development in the international community’s efforts to hold the Taliban accountable for their draconian policies and widespread human rights abuses since their takeover of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021.
Accusations of Gender Persecution
The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber II found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Akhundzada and Haqqani are responsible for ordering, inducing, or soliciting crimes of persecution on gender and political grounds. The court detailed a broad and ongoing pattern of repression, stating that the Taliban have “severely deprived, through decrees and edicts, girls and women of the rights to education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion.”
These alleged crimes are believed to have been committed across Afghanistan from August 15, 2021, through at least January 20, 2025. The ICC emphasized that gender persecution, under Article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute, encompasses not only direct violence but also “systemic and institutionalized forms of harm,” such as the enforcement of discriminatory societal norms. The court also noted that others, including individuals perceived as “allies of girls and women” or those whose gender identity or sexual expression diverged from Taliban norms, were also targeted.
A Longstanding Investigation
The ICC’s investigation into the situation in Afghanistan has been ongoing, with the Office of the Prosecutor requesting these specific arrest warrants in January 2025. The decision by Pre-Trial Chamber II to issue the warrants underscores the gravity of the accusations and the court’s commitment to addressing the plight of Afghan women and girls.
International Reactions and Implications
The issuance of these arrest warrants has been widely welcomed by human rights organizations. Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnes Callamard called it “an important step toward holding those responsible accountable,” while Human Rights Watch’s international justice director, Liz Evenson, stated that the warrants “could provide victims and their families with an essential pathway to justice.”
The warrants, while a powerful symbolic gesture, also carry legal weight. As Afghanistan is a State Party to the Rome Statute, member states of the ICC are now legally obligated to arrest Akhundzada and Haqqani should they travel outside Afghanistan. However, given their positions and the Taliban’s de facto control over the country, immediate arrests are unlikely.
The Taliban has dismissed the warrants as “nonsense,” indicating their refusal to recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction or cooperate with the court.
This development comes just days after the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution expressing deep concern about the worsening oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan and urging the Taliban to reverse its policies. The ICC’s actions are seen as reinforcing these calls for accountability and justice for the severe and systemic violations of fundamental rights occurring in Afghanistan.
