ICC pursues Taliban over gender-based persecution in Afghanistan

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for two top Taliban figures, accusing them of persecuting against Afghan women and girls, The New Arab reported via Reuters on July 8th.

The court said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani committed crimes against humanity through a systematic policy of repression.

According to ICC judges, between August 15th, 2021 and January 20th, 2025, women and girls in Afghanistan were subjected to severe restrictions, solely based on their gender. “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 court statement read.

As reported by Maghrebi via the BBC on July 25th, 2023, since retaking control, the Taliban banned girls from attending secondary schools and universities, shut down beauty salons, and barred women from working for NGOs and entering parks, gyms, and public baths.

Strict dress codes and a male guardian requirement for travel has also been enforced, while public performances by women have been prohibited.

The ICC prosecutor’s office described the Taliban’s measures as a coordinated campaign of gender-based persecution. “Through the Taliban’s deprivation of fundamental rights to education, privacy and family life… Afghan women and girls were increasingly erased from public life,” the prosecutors stated.

In response to the decision, secretary general of Amnesty International Agnes Callamard said the warrants send a message of hope to Afghan women, while international justice director at Human Rights Watch Liz Evenson noted they show “when justice is supported, victims can have their day in court.”

ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan, who requested the warrants in January, warned further cases against Taliban officials could follow.

The New Arab via Reuters, Maghrebi.org via the BBC