THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday unsealed arrest warrants for four senior Taliban figures, accusing them of the crime against humanity of persecution on gender and political grounds in Afghanistan, in a move that could intensify international pressure on the Taliban authorities.The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber II made public warrants against Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, head of Afghanistan’s Supreme Court, Education Minister Habibullah Agha and Higher Education Minister Neda Mohammad Nadim. The warrants were issued on July 8 and September 9, 2025, but had remained under seal until Monday.The court said there were reasonable grounds to believe that the four suspects were criminally responsible for ordering, inducing or soliciting the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds against girls, women and other people whose gender identity or expression was considered inconsistent with Taliban policies.The allegations also include persecution on political grounds against people perceived by the Taliban as “allies of girls and women,” according to the ICC. The court said the alleged crimes were committed in Afghanistan from August 15, 2021, when the Taliban returned to power, and continued at least until January 20, 2025.ICC judges said the suspects, acting on behalf of the Taliban, implemented government policies that resulted in severe violations of fundamental rights and freedoms. The court said its assessment included alleged conduct involving murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and enforced disappearance.Women and girls were specifically targeted because of their gender, the court said, and were severely deprived of fundamental rights including access to education, privacy and family life, as well as freedom of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion.The court also said its interpretation of gender-based persecution extends beyond direct physical violence to systemic and institutionalised forms of harm, including discriminatory social norms imposed on the civilian population.The warrants come against the backdrop of sweeping restrictions imposed by the Taliban since its return to power. Afghan girls have been barred from education beyond the sixth grade, while women have been excluded from universities and large sections of the workforce and public life.The ICC’s action does not amount to a finding of guilt. The warrants reflect the judges’ determination that there are reasonable grounds to believe the suspects committed the alleged crimes, and the case would require further judicial proceedings.Enforcement of the warrants is also uncertain. The ICC has no independent police force and relies on member states to arrest and surrender suspects. With the Taliban in control of Afghanistan, the immediate prospect of the four men being arrested remains remote.The Taliban has rejected the ICC’s authority. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction and that the country is bound by Islamic Sharia and its own courts rather than what he described as foreign judicial institutions.Former ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan announced in January 2025 that his office had sought arrest warrants for Akhundzada and Haqqani, saying Afghan women and girls and members of the LGBTQI+ community were facing what he described as unprecedented and continuing persecution under Taliban rule.The unsealing of all four warrants makes the allegations against the Taliban leadership more publicly detailed and gives states cooperating with the ICC a clearer legal basis for considering the suspects should they come within their jurisdiction.