ICC Issues Arrest Warrants for Taliban Leaders

The International Criminal Court has new targets in its sights. The Hague-based court has issued arrest warrants for two top Taliban leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity tied to their treatment of Afghan women. Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani are suspected of orchestrating a campaign of persecution on gender grounds, according to a statement from ICC judges, per AFP. The court says evidence points to the Taliban specifically targeting women and girls by restricting fundamental rights, including education, movement, and freedom of expression.

The alleged crimes span from August 2021, when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, to at least January 2025. The ICC highlights that the crackdown extended to people whose sexuality or gender identity clashed with Taliban policies. Though the ICC lacks an enforcement arm, individuals named in arrest warrants could be detained if they travel to ICC member states. It's unclear if Akhundzada or Haqqani have traveled recently. Other Taliban officials have visited China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, according to the George W. Bush Presidential Center, but none of those are ICC members.