The International Criminal Court has unsealed arrest warrants for two Afghan education ministers, Habibullah Agha and Neda Mohammad Nadeem, accused of committing crimes against humanity through the Taliban government's restrictions on women and girls. The warrants, issued on September 9, 2025, were kept under seal until Monday. The two officials are accused of gender-based persecution linked to policies that have barred girls aged over 12 from school and excluded women from higher education.
The Taliban government's education minister, Habibullah Agha, and the minister for higher education, Neda Mohammad Nadeem, have played key roles in implementing the supreme leader's vision for Afghanistan. The ICC warrants were likely to increase international pressure on the Taliban government. The two warrants against the ministers were issued after the ICC, in July 2025, authorised warrants for Afghanistan's Supreme Taliban Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court President Abdul Hakim Haqqani.
The ICC said there are reasonable grounds to believe the suspects committed the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds. The court said the persecution was directed against women and girls, and the deprivation of their fundamental rights was committed in connection with other alleged crimes under the Taliban government's policies. The alleged crimes were committed in Afghanistan from the Taliban's takeover until at least January 20, 2025.
The ICC's disclosure of the warrants came the same day the UN Human Rights Council urged the Taliban authorities to repeal their worsening and systematic oppression of all women and girls in Afghanistan. The council's 47 member countries unanimously criticised the discrimination and the harms that it has entrenched. The ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber II decided to unseal all four warrants, with redactions, after concluding that doing so would not unduly affect ongoing investigations.
The unsealing of the warrants could promote cooperation by the international community in relation to the situation in Afghanistan. The ICC said publication could also prevent the commission of further crimes by the suspects. Afghans across the country have told AFP journalists of severe mental health problems tied to the education ban, with teenage girls and women mostly staying at home.
The education ban has led to staff shortages in hospitals, multiple healthcare workers have told AFP, as women are no longer allowed to qualify as doctors. Women and girls in Afghanistan face big obstacles in continuing their education. They are banned from most jobs and a host of public places, including parks, and must have a close male relative escort them on long journeys.
The situation in Afghanistan has worsened, with women increasingly absent from public life and needing to abide by a strict dress code when they leave home, covering everything but their eyes. Some women and girls have tried to continue their education by studying online, but their efforts are hampered by internet and electricity problems across Afghanistan.
Key points
- The ICC has issued arrest warrants for two Taliban education ministers accused of crimes against humanity.
- The Taliban government's restrictions on women and girls have led to severe mental health problems and staff shortages in hospitals.
- The international community has urged the Taliban authorities to repeal their oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan.
