The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, including the group’s supreme spiritual leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, over alleged crimes against women and girls.

The ICC stated that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Akhundzada and the Taliban’s Chief Justice, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, committed the crime against humanity of gender-based persecution. The charges relate to systematic oppression targeting women, girls, and individuals who do not conform to the Taliban’s strict policies on gender, gender identity, or expression.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has hailed the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber to issue arrest warrants for Akhundzada and Haqqani.

The warrants are for the crime against humanity of gender persecution in Afghanistan and their alleged individual responsibility.

In a statement signed by Agnes Callamard, Secretary General, Amnesty International said the move marks a significant step towards justice for Afghan women and girls who have faced systematic oppression under Taliban rule.

The organisation is also urging the international community to take further action by recognising gender apartheid as a crime under international law, in order to strengthen global efforts to dismantle institutionalised regimes of discrimination.

According to Amnesty International, the ICC’s decision is vital to holding accountable those allegedly responsible for depriving women and girls of fundamental rights, including education, free movement and expression, private and family life, free assembly, and physical integrity and autonomy.

“Amnesty International welcomes the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants against the Taliban leaders.

“This is a landmark moment for women and girls in Afghanistan who have suffered the consequences of the Taliban’s institutionalised system of gender oppression for almost three years,” said Agnes Callamard, Secretary General, Amnesty International.

Callamard said, “Today’s decision sends a clear message that the international community will not tolerate the systematic discrimination, oppression, and marginalisation of women and girls. The Taliban’s actions amount to gender persecution, which is a crime against humanity.

“The international community must now recognise gender apartheid as a crime under international law. This will strengthen efforts to combat institutionalised regimes of systematic oppression and domination imposed on the grounds of gender.”

Since reclaiming power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping and systemic restrictions on women and girls, effectively erasing them from public life.

These measures are rooted in a strict interpretation of Islamic law and have been widely condemned as gender apartheid. Girls are banned from attending school beyond sixth grade. Women are prohibited from university education, including medical and midwifery programmes while female students have been turned away at gunpoint from campuses.

Women are also barred from most government and private sector jobs. NGOs and international organisations have been ordered to dismiss female staff.

Also, women cannot travel without a male guardian (mahram), and they are banned from parks, gyms, and salons.

Public speaking, singing, or even being heard in public is forbidden.

Regarding the dress code, women are required to wear full-body coverings, including veils that cover their faces.

Violations can result in punishment for both the woman and her male relatives. Women are banned from training as midwives, despite Afghanistan’s high maternal mortality rate. Therefore, access to female medical care is severely limited.