ICC Secretly Issued Arrest Warrants for Two More Senior Taliban Figures

DID Press: International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague secretly issued arrest warrants last year for two additional senior Taliban figures over alleged gender-based and political persecution, according to an exclusive report by Middle East Eye published Wednesday.

The report, citing confidential documents and sources familiar with the proceedings, said a three-judge panel at the ICC issued the warrants in September 2025. The identities of the two Taliban officials have not been disclosed because the cases remain confidential.

The reported warrants come in addition to those issued against Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and the group’s chief justice over alleged crimes against humanity involving gender persecution.

The report did not identify the two newly targeted officials. However, several senior Taliban figures have been involved in policies that have imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls, including Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s minister for the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice; Nida Mohammad Nadim, the higher education minister; Abdul Hakim Shara’i, the justice minister; and Noor Mohammad Saqib, the minister of hajj and religious affairs.

The ICC’s reported action represents a significant escalation in international legal scrutiny of the Taliban over its treatment of women and restrictions on political and civil freedoms in Afghanistan.

If confirmed, the additional warrants could increase diplomatic and legal pressure on Taliban officials and further complicate their efforts to gain broader international recognition.