The hague: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a decisive step by issuing arrest warrants for two prominent Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, including the supreme spiritual leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada. The warrants accuse them of perpetrating persecution against women and girls in the country.

According to Emirates News Agency, the ICC has identified reasonable grounds to believe that both Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the Taliban’s chief justice, are responsible for crimes against humanity. These crimes specifically involve persecution on gender grounds, targeting girls, women, and individuals who do not conform to the Taliban’s stringent policies regarding gender identity and expression.

The court highlighted that the Taliban’s imposition of restrictive rules and prohibitions has had a disproportionately adverse impact on women and girls. By enforcing these measures, the Taliban have systematically deprived them of their fundamental rights and freedoms, solely based on their gender. This development marks a significant move by the ICC in addressing human rights violations in Afghanistan.