The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for the Taliban's supreme leader and chief justice, accusing them of persecuting girls and women in Afghanistan.

The ICC said there were grounds to believe that supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, chief justice of the Taliban, had committed the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds against girls, women and "other persons non-conforming" with the Taliban's policy on gender, gender identity or expression, a statement from the UN court said.

"While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms," the statement continued.

The Taliban had "severely deprived" girls and women of the rights to education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion, ICC judges said.

"In addition, other persons were targeted because certain expressions of sexuality and/or gender identity were regarded as inconsistent with the Taliban's policy on gender."

What has been the Taliban's response?

The Hague-based court alleged the crimes took place from August 15, 2021, when the Taliban seized power, and endured until at least January 20, 2025.

The Taliban dismissed the warrants as "nonsense" and that the ICC move "won't affect the strong commitment and dedication to sharia (Islamic law)," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

What is the purpose of the ICC?

The ICC was created to pass judgement on the world's worst crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court has no police force of its own and relies on member states to carry out its arrest warrants.

In theory, this means anyone subject to an ICC arrest warrant cannot travel to a member state for fear of being detained. In practice, this has not always been the case.

Since returning to power four years ago, the Taliban have imposed measures that include the banning of women from public places and prohibiting girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade.

Last week, Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban regime.

In recent years the ICC also has sought the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah