Ankara:The International Criminal Court (ICC) has unsealed four arrest warrants against Taliban figures, accusing them of crimes against humanity, including persecution on gender and political grounds in Afghanistan.

According to Anadolu Agency, the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber II has issued public warrants against Haibatullah Akhundzada, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Habibullah Agha, and Neda Mohammad Nadim. These warrants were issued on July 8 and September 9, 2025, with the existence of warrants against Akhundzada and Haqqani already announced earlier in July 2025.

Judges at the ICC found reasonable grounds to believe that the suspects were responsible for ordering, inducing, or soliciting persecution against girls, women, and others who did not conform to Taliban policies related to gender, gender identity, or expression. The warrants also address alleged political persecution against individuals perceived as 'allies of girls and women.'

The alleged crimes occurred from the Taliban's return to power on August 15, 2021, until at least January 20, 2025. The suspects are accused of implementing government policies that resulted in severe violations of fundamental rights, including murder, imprisonment, torture, rape, and enforced disappearance.

Girls and women were specifically targeted and severely deprived of their rights to education, privacy, and family life, as well as freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience, and religion. Judges noted that gender persecution encompasses both direct violence and systemic, institutionalized harm, including discriminatory social norms.

The chamber further found that individuals perceived as opposing these policies, whether actively or passively, were treated as political opponents.