Key Takeaways
- The International Criminal Court has unsealed arrest warrants for two Afghan education ministers.
- The ministers, Habibullah Agha and Neda Mohammad Nadeem, are accused of gender-based persecution.
- The warrants were issued in September 2025 and target restrictions on girls' and women's education.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has unsealed arrest warrants for two Afghan education ministers, Habibullah Agha and Neda Mohammad Nadeem, accused of crimes against humanity. The warrants, which were authorised in September 2025, target the Taliban government’s restrictions on girls' and women's education.
According to the ICC, the ministers are accused of gender-based persecution, specifically for policies that barred girls from attending school beyond primary level and excluded women from higher education following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.
The unsealing of these warrants is expected to increase international pressure on the Taliban government, as the ICC aims to hold accountable those responsible for human rights abuses.
AFP has approached Taliban authorities for comment, but no response has been received as of yet. The ICC also authorised warrants for Afghanistan’s Supreme Taliban Leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and Supreme Court President, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, parts of which have been made public.
The ICC’s decision to unseal these warrants comes after a period of secrecy, highlighting the severity of the allegations and the court’s commitment to transparency.
The warrants against the ministers were issued following a July 2025 decision by the ICC, which authorised similar warrants for the two Taliban leaders, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani. These leaders have been previously implicated in crimes against humanity.
