The International Criminal Court (ICC) unsealed arrest warrants on Monday for two Afghan education ministers accused of crimes against humanity linked to gender-based persecution under the Taliban government. The warrants target Habibullah Agha, minister of education, and Neda Mohammad Nadeem, minister of higher education. These warrants were originally issued on September 9, 2025, but remained sealed until their public release this week.

The ICC alleges that both officials played significant roles in enforcing the Taliban’s policies barring girls above the age of 12 from attending school and excluding women from higher education after the group regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021. According to the court, there are reasonable grounds to believe the two committed persecution based on gender, directed against women, girls, and others whose gender identity was seen as inconsistent with Taliban policy.

The unsealing of these warrants follows a previous ICC action in July 2025, when arrest warrants were authorized for Afghanistan’s Supreme Taliban Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court President Abdul Hakim Haqqani, though those were only partially made public. The current warrants against Agha and Nadeem have been seen as a continuation of international efforts to hold Taliban officials accountable for human rights violations.

The ICC’s announcement is expected to add further pressure on the Taliban administration, which has faced widespread condemnation for its restrictions on female education and participation in public life. The Taliban authorities have yet to respond to requests for comment on the newly unsealed warrants.

These developments reflect ongoing tensions between the international community’s efforts to address alleged abuses under the Taliban and the group’s policies since retaking power. The ICC’s actions underscore the legal scrutiny applied to senior Taliban figures involved in formulating and implementing restrictive gender policies in Afghanistan.