The ICC's investigation, reopened in 2022, focuses on severe violations of civil rights by the Taliban and ISIS, including homicide, torture, rape, and enforced disappearances, with crimes continuing until at least January 2025.

Amnesty International's Secretary General expressed hope that these warrants will send a message of hope to Afghan women and girls and others worldwide.

A UN report from June indicates that nearly 80% of women under 30 in Afghanistan are excluded from education or employment due to Taliban policies, which have also introduced laws restricting women's voices and public presence.

These warrants specifically target Taliban decrees that have stripped women and girls of their rights to education, movement, free opinion, thought, conscience, and religion.

The ICC aims to raise awareness about these warrants to prevent further crimes, but has kept them sealed to protect witnesses and the integrity of the court process.

The warrants remain confidential to safeguard victims and witnesses, though public disclosure could potentially help deter ongoing violations.

Since the ICC relies on member states to enforce its warrants, notable figures such as former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are also under ICC warrants.

The warrants, issued in January and announced in July 2025, require over 120 ICC member states, including Germany, to enforce them if the accused travel to their countries, emphasizing international accountability.

Hibatullah Akhunzada, the Taliban's supreme leader since 2016, has a history of fighting against Soviet forces and has led the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan after US forces left in 2021.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Taliban leaders Hibatullah Akhunzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing them of persecuting women, girls, and others based on gender, gender identity, and political grounds since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Despite international condemnation, the Taliban government has denied the warrants and dismissed the accusations as absurd, asserting that they will not affect their commitment to Sharia law.

Russia became the first country to officially recognize the Taliban government in July 2025, amid ongoing international concerns about human rights violations in Afghanistan.