ICC Issues Arrest Warrants Against Taliban Leaders Over Gender-Based Persecution

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for two top Taliban figures, accusing them of systematically persecuting women, girls, and gender minorities in Afghanistan since the group took control of the country in August 2021, according to a report published by CNN on Tuesday.

Taliban Accused of Crimes Against Humanity

The warrants target Haibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the regime’s chief justice, the report said.

According to the ICC’s statement on Tuesday, the duo is “criminally responsible” for ordering or encouraging widespread gender-based persecution.

“While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms,” the ICC said, per CNN.

This includes denial of education to girls beyond grade six, mandating veils and face coverings, and restricting the movement of women, free speech, among other things.

A Global Legal First

Lisa Davis, the ICC’s Special Adviser on Gender and Other Discriminatory Crimes, said that this step is of historical significance. In a social media post, she pointed out it is “the first time in history” when an international tribunal has acknowledged LGBTQ+ persons as victims of crimes against humanity because of gender persecution.

Others targeted by the Taliban, the ICC said, are “allies of girls and women” and individuals whose sexual orientation or gender identity is not consistent with the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law, as reported by CNN.

Since resuming power in 2021, the Taliban are reported to have issued dozens of decrees limiting women’s rights. 

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