ICC Issues Arrest Warrants for Taliban Education Ministers Over Gender Persecution

The International Criminal Court unsealed arrest warrants against two senior Taliban officials, education minister Habibullah Agha and higher education minister Neda Mohammad Nadeem, accusing them of the crime against humanity of gender-based persecution in Afghanistan. The warrants mark a significant step in international efforts to hold Taliban leaders accountable for policies that have systematically excluded Afghan women and girls from education since the group's return to power.

The Taliban has barred girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and has prohibited women from studying at universities, policies that have drawn widespread international condemnation and calls for accountability from human rights organisations. The ICC's action against sitting government ministers is a rare move and signals the court's intent to pursue senior officials directly responsible for enforcing restrictions on women's rights, even as enforcement of any arrest remains uncertain given the Taliban's control over Afghan territory.