The warrants were first issued in 2025, with a portion of the documents becoming public in July 2025. Judges ruled that gender under the Rome Statute covers socially constructed roles and norms rather than only biological sex. The court currently has no mechanism to enforce these warrants as long as the Taliban retain control over Afghanistan.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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ICC Unseals 4 Arrest Warrants for Taliban Leaders Over Gender Persecution
Geopolitics15 days ago
Haibatullah Akhundzada and several top ministers are targets of a public push by international judges to punish the systematic oppression of Afghan women. The International Criminal Court's Pre-Trial Chamber II unsealed arrest warrants on Monday for the Taliban supreme leader, Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Education Minister Habibullah Agha and Higher Education Minister Neda Mohammad Nadim. These officials are charged with crimes against humanity for the persecution of women, girls and LGBTQI+ individuals since 2021, including bans on attending school beyond sixth grade and excluding women from universities and most workplaces.
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