The International Criminal Court seeks arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders over systematic “oppression” of women and sexual minorities in Afghanistan, the first such action against the government since it seized power in 2021.
Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan filed applications against Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani. The charges centre on crimes against humanity through gender-based persecution of women, girls, and sexual minorities.
Khan cited evidence from expert testimony, forensic reports, official decrees, and audio-visual material. The investigation drew on Afghan civil society groups and international organisations.
Taliban Restrictions on Women
The Taliban banned women from universities and most public jobs. Girls cannot attend school past age 12, making Afghanistan the only country worldwide with such restrictions. Women must cover their faces and bodies in public. They cannot use mixed gyms, parks, or beauty salons.
Last month, the government reportedly blocked women from training as nurses or midwives, eliminating their final path to higher education. Women can only receive medical care from female practitioners, yet the ban prevents new women from entering these professions.
The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs defended its policies, claiming peace had returned to Afghanistan after years of “chaos, private prisons, abductions, warlords and other inhumane practices.”
Internal Pushback and Support
Foreign Ministry deputy Sher Abbas Stanikzai spoke out against the education bans during a ceremony in Khost province. “We deny rights to half our people. Islamic law does not support this – it comes from personal choice,” Stanikzai told the audience at a religious school.
His comments pose the first direct challenge to Taliban leader Akhundzada’s policies from within the government. Stanikzai previously led Taliban negotiations for the withdrawal of foreign troops.
Taliban supporters fought back. Two hundred people gathered in Ghazni city to denounce the ICC’s move. “We have gathered to show the West that their decision is cruel and rejected by Afghans,” local resident Noorulhaq Omar told reporters. Chants of “Death to America” echoed a bitter irony, given the United States’ own struggles with recent regressive gender policies.
Strange Bedfellow
As the ICC acts against Taliban gender policies, American institutions show similar trends. Meta now allows users to label sexual minorities as “mentally ill” despite medical consensus against such views. The company changed its rules as part of broader shifts in content moderation to appease the newly minted Trump administration.
The Trump team dismantled federal diversity programmes, collectively known as DEI, through executive orders. The orders scrap policies dating back to the civil rights era, including measures requiring federal contractors to ensure equal opportunities.
Staff must report colleagues who continue diversity work “in disguise.” The administration explores ways to pressure private companies to drop such initiatives. Major corporations like Walmart, McDonald’s and Meta have already ended some diversity programmes.
The American Federation of Government Employees, representing 800,000 federal workers, condemned the executive orders. “The federal government hires and promotes on merit, creating a diverse workforce with the lowest gender and racial pay gaps nationwide,” union president Everett Kelley said.
The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber will review the warrant applications. Yet without access to Afghanistan, enforcement faces hurdles. So far, no country recognises the Taliban as legitimate rulers, though Russia and India have built diplomatic ties.
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