ICC issues arrest warrants against top Taliban leaders

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants against Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing them of crimes against humanity for the repression of women and children in Afghanistan.

The ICC, based in The Hague, Netherlands, stated there are reasonable grounds to believe that since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, both leaders have been responsible for systematic abuses. These include banning girls’ education, prohibiting women from working, restricting their freedom of movement without a male guardian, and forbidding women from speaking loudly in public.

While the Taliban has imposed various restrictions on the entire population, the ICC emphasized that women have been specifically targeted solely based on their gender, resulting in the deprivation of their fundamental rights and freedoms. The United Nations has previously described these restrictions as “gender apartheid.”

The Taliban rejected the ICC’s authority, describing the arrest warrants as a hostile act and an insult to Muslims worldwide. The group insists it governs according to Afghan culture and Islamic Sharia law.

Hibatullah Akhundzada became the Taliban’s supreme leader in 2016 and has led the so-called “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” since the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces in 2021. Akhundzada previously fought against Soviet forces in the 1980s.

Abdul Hakim Haqqani, a close ally of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, served as the Taliban’s chief negotiator during talks with the United States in 2020.

The ICC’s move signals an important step toward international accountability, though enforcement of the warrants faces significant challenges given the current political situation in Afghanistan.