ICC makes four Taliban arrest warrants public
The international criminal court accuses four Taliban leaders of crimes against humanity over gender persecution.
The International Criminal Court made four arrest warrants against prominent Taliban leaders public on Monday. The warrants had already been issued in 2025 but remained partly confidential; an arrest is unlikely for the time being because the suspects remain in power in Afghanistan.
The disclosure concerns supreme Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Education Minister Habibullah Agha and Minister of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadim. The ICC says the warrants were issued on 8 July and 9 September 2025 and unsealed by the Pre-Trial Chamber on Monday.
According to the judges, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the four suspects may be responsible for persecution on grounds of gender. According to the court, this concerns policies that deny girls and women fundamental rights, including education, freedom of movement, privacy and family life. People who do not fit within the Taliban's conceptions of gender and those seen as allies of women and girls are also said to have been affected.
The charges concern the period from the Taliban's seizure of power on 15 August 2021 until at least 20 January 2025. The court uses a broad legal interpretation of gender persecution: it can encompass not only individual acts of violence, but also systematic and institutionalised oppression. The suspects are not convicted by the arrest warrants; the warrants mean that judges see sufficient grounds to bring them before a court.
Since returning to power, the Taliban have excluded women from many jobs and public services. Girls are not allowed to continue their education beyond primary school. The ICC's decision therefore goes beyond a new ruling on a single decree: the court is assessing a coherent government policy as a possible international crime.
For the time being, the practical effect is mainly legal and political. The ICC has no police force of its own and cannot enforce the warrants independently. As long as the four men remain in Afghanistan and the Taliban protect them, a trial in the short term is unlikely. The warrants may nevertheless restrict their international freedom of movement and give evidence and witness statements a formal place in a future criminal case file.
The public sources consulted contain no substantive response from the Taliban to the disclosure. The court stresses that the investigation is not directed against the Taliban as an organisation, but against individuals who, according to the charges, ordered or contributed to the policy. The emphasis therefore lies on individual criminal responsibility, even when suspects hold government positions.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The ICC has made four arrest warrants against Taliban leaders public.
- The warrants concern persecution on grounds of gender.
- The suspects have not been convicted and, as far as is known, are beyond the court's reach.
- The ICC has no police force of its own.
Left
Arguments International prosecution is necessary when a ruler systematically deprives women and girls of their rights and national legal protection is absent.
Values Universal human rights, equality and the protection of vulnerable groups.
Consequences The warrants may give victims recognition, secure evidence and increase pressure on other countries not to normalise the Taliban without conditions.
Centre
Arguments The legal proceedings should continue, but expectations must remain realistic: without cooperation from states, enforcement is difficult and diplomacy remains necessary for humanitarian access.
Values The rule of law, careful evidence-gathering and institutional feasibility.
Consequences A formal case file may make a future trial possible, while overly ambitious political claims could reduce room for negotiation.
Right
Arguments The court must take care not to act as though a legal warrant automatically brings political change. States must determine their own security and foreign policies and should not treat every international ruling as a binding intervention.
Values National sovereignty, enforceability and restraint in the exercise of international power.
Consequences The warrants may further isolate the Taliban and make cooperation more difficult without directly improving the position of women.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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The core facts are directly confirmed by the ICC and independently described by AP. The text clearly distinguishes between an arrest warrant, a charge and a conviction.
- confirmed The ICC made four arrest warrants against Taliban leaders public on 5 October 2026. — This is stated in the ICC's press release. source
- confirmed The warrants concern Hibatullah Akhundzada, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Habibullah Agha and Neda Mohammad Nadim. — The four names are cited by the ICC and AP. source
- confirmed The charges concern persecution on grounds of gender as a crime against humanity. — This is the legal characterisation in the ICC decision. source
- confirmed The ICC has no police force of its own to enforce arrest warrants independently. — AP describes this limitation and the low likelihood of immediate arrests. source
Editor's note
It is certain that the ICC has unsealed four warrants from 2025 and what charge underlies them. It remains uncertain when enforcement will be possible; the sources consulted contain no substantive response from the Taliban.Sources
- ICC maakt vier arrestatiebevelen openbaar in de situatie Afghanistan — International Criminal Court
- ICC maakt arrestatiebevelen tegen vier Talibanleiders openbaar — Associated Press
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „icc taliban”
- Trouw — „icc taliban”
- NRC — „icc taliban”