ICC hits more Taliban officials with arrest warrants over persecution of women

The International Criminal Court unsealed arrest warrants against Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, education minister Habibullah Agha and higher education minister Neda Mohammad Nadim, accusing them of persecution as a crime against humanity. Judges found reasonable grounds to believe all four ordered or encouraged policies barring girls from education past sixth grade, restricting women's travel and market access, and effectively requiring male escorts for daily life.

The warrants, two of which were first announced in July 2025 and two issued secretly in September, detail closed beauty salons, employment restrictions, and arrests of people who merely distributed books or criticized the restrictions. The UN estimates 2.4 million girls are currently excluded from secondary education as a result of these policies.

Judges explicitly classified gender persecution as encompassing socially constructed roles and expectations, not just biology, and tied it to murder, torture, sexual violence and enforced disappearance. The court has no police force of its own, so execution of the warrants depends entirely on member states choosing to act.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.