Judges of Pre-Trial Chamber II at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have called for the establishment of an independent investigative mechanism to examine the Taliban’s policies and actions targeting women and girls in Afghanistan.
According to a report published on Saturday, August 8, by Middle East Eye and cited by Zharfa News Agency, this request was submitted approximately three weeks ago.
The three judges of the Chamber stated that allegations of gender-based persecution committed by the Taliban since 2021 differ in both nature and legal context from the main Afghanistan situation. They noted that, should statutory requirements be met, these allegations must be examined through a separate investigation. If approved by the Court’s leadership, the Taliban case would be separated from the ICC’s broader investigation into the situation in Afghanistan.
Sources indicate that the primary Afghanistan investigation was authorized in 2020 and covers alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by all parties to the conflict since 2003.
In 2024, six countries filed referrals with the Court regarding the Taliban. Subsequently, in January 2025, the former ICC Prosecutor sought arrest warrants for Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Chief Justice of the Taliban’s Supreme Court.
Over the past five years, the Taliban’s restrictive policies toward women have drawn widespread international condemnation. The group, however, maintains that the rights of citizens—particularly women—are fully guaranteed within the framework of “Islamic Sharia.”
