ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over rights abuses

ICC issues warrants for Taliban leaders Akhundzada and Haqqani over suspected crimes against humanity in Afghanistan

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, including the group’s supreme spiritual leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada.

The court announced on Tuesday that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the Taliban’s Chief Justice, have committed crimes against humanity. Specifically, they are accused of persecution on gender grounds, targeting women, girls, and individuals who do not conform to the Taliban’s policies on gender, gender identity, or expression.

According to the ICC, the alleged crimes involve a systematic campaign of repression and discrimination since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

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Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban government has imposed severe restrictions on women, which the United Nations has described as a form of "gender apartheid."

The Taliban has also permitted the public flogging of women for alleged offences.

In December 2024, the Taliban announced the closure of all national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Afghanistan that employ Afghan women.

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This decision, which further tightens the group’s restrictions on women, comes just over two years after the Taliban initially ordered NGOs to suspend employing Afghan women, citing alleged violations of dress codes.