The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced plans to request arrest warrants for high-ranking leaders of the Taliban government in Afghanistan for their involvement in the persecution of women and girls.

Karim Khan stated that there is sufficient evidence to suspect that Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani are criminally responsible for crimes against humanity, specifically on gender-based grounds.

The decision to issue arrest warrants now rests with ICC judges, who will evaluate the evidence and determine the next steps.

The ICC is tasked with investigating and prosecuting individuals responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, particularly in cases where national authorities are unable or unwilling to take action.

In his statement, Karim Khan emphasised that the two men are "criminally responsible for persecuting Afghan girls and women, as well as persons whom the Taliban perceived as not conforming with their ideological expectations of gender identity or expression and persons whom the Taliban perceived as allies of girls and women."

He further noted that opposition to the Taliban government is "brutally repressed through the commission of crimes including murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, enforced disappearance, and other inhumane acts."

The statement revealed that the persecution has been ongoing across Afghanistan since at least August 15, 2021, and continues to the present day.

Haibatullah Akhundzada assumed the role of supreme commander of the Taliban in 2016 and is now the leader of the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. During the 1980s, he was involved in Islamist groups opposing the Soviet military campaign in Afghanistan.

Abdul Hakim Haqqani, a close confidant of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, acted as a negotiator for the Taliban in discussions with U.S. representatives in 2020.

The ICC prosecutor’s office informed a prominent media corporation that several factors have hindered the progress of the investigation, including "the lack of cooperation" from Taliban authorities.

"Due to fear, individuals with important information for the investigation are frequently unwilling to come forward," the office further explained.

As of now, the Taliban government has not commented on the ICC’s statement.

Nader Nadery, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Wilson Centre and a participant in peace talks between the former Afghan government and the Taliban, remarked that this move aligns with the expectations of many Afghan women.

"While it might not immediately change things, it sends a strong message that there won't be impunity," Nadery told a prominent media corporation. "It builds hope for many of those activists and Afghan women on the ground that probably there is a way forward and keeping that hope alive, I believe, is a major contribution immediately."

The Taliban reclaimed control of Afghanistan in 2021, two decades after their regime was overthrown by a U.S.-led invasion in response to the 9/11 attacks in New York. However, their government has yet to gain formal recognition from any foreign power.

Since their return to power, "morality laws" have stripped women of numerous rights across the country.

Afghanistan remains the only nation globally where women and girls are barred from secondary and higher education. Approximately one-and-a-half million females have been intentionally excluded from schooling.

The Taliban has repeatedly assured that girls would be allowed back to school once certain issues, such as ensuring the curriculum aligns with being "Islamic," were addressed. However, no progress has been made on this promise.

Additionally, beauty salons have been shut down and women are prohibited from accessing public parks, gyms, and bathhouses.

A strict dress code mandates that women must be fully covered. They are also subject to strict travel rules, requiring a male chaperone, and are prohibited from making eye contact with men unless they are related by blood or marriage.

In December, women were further restricted when they were banned from training as midwives and nurses, effectively closing off their last pathway to higher education in Afghanistan.