The International Criminal Court said it was unsealing arrest warrants for four senior Taliban leaders accused of gender persecution in Afghanistan.
The International Criminal Court said on Monday it was unsealing arrest warrants against four senior Taliban leaders, accusing them of the crime against humanity of gender persecution against women, girls and LGBTQI+ people in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in 2021.
Courthouse News Service reported that the published warrants name supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, education minister Habibullah Agha and higher education minister Neda Mohammad Nadim. The first two warrants were announced in July 2025 but remained sealed. Warrants for Agha and Nadim were issued secretly in September 2025 and disclosed on Monday.
Judges said publication could help prevent further crimes, inform victims and encourage cooperation. Agha, appointed education minister in September 2022, was linked to girls' loss of schooling. Nadim, appointed higher education minister the following month, was linked to women losing access to higher education.
The court sits in The Hague. Arrest warrants do not by themselves place the suspects in custody, and the reports did not say any of the four had been detained.
The Taliban have previously rejected the court's authority. No new Taliban response to Monday's unsealing was included in the reports used here.