GENEVA – Human rights experts* today welcomed the request by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants for senior Taliban leaders Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds in Afghanistan. The experts issued the following statement: “This is a critical step forward in the pursuit of justice for crimes against humanity committed against Afghans. It sends an important signal to the Taliban that members of its leadership are liable for committing international crimes, including gender persecution, and may face arrest and trial. Equally, the people of Afghanistan, especially women, girls, and the LGBTQI+ people now know that the International Criminal Court hears them and has begun to take concrete actions to achieve justice for them. The Prosecutor is sending a clear message to the rest of the world that the discriminatory and misogynistic policies being enforced in Afghanistan are not only unacceptable but may constitute serious crimes under international law. Those who are tempted to normalise the Taliban should be aware that its leadership may be held criminally accountable for international crimes. We greatly welcome the Prosecutor’s focus on accountability for gender-based crimes. For too long, the crime of gender persecution has been overlooked, despite being contemplated in the Rome Statute. By seeking these arrest warrants, the Prosecutor has made clear that such crimes are serious and will not go unpunished. This case marks a historic moment, including because it confirms that crimes based on ‘gender’ also encompass those grounded on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics. We are encouraged by the Prosecutor’s unwavering commitment to pursue further arrest warrants and urge that they be made at the earliest opportunity. Today’s long-awaited action demonstrates the ICC’s critical role in upholding international justice where domestic measures have failed. Member countries must stand united in their full support for the Court and its independent mandate to hold perpetrators of atrocity crimes accountable. At the same time, far more must be done to ensure accountability for crimes committed in Afghanistan over decades by multiple parties to the conflict, with victims and survivors always put at the centre." *The experts: Richard Bennett,Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan; Laura Nyirinkindi (Chair), Claudia Flores (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Ivana Krstić, and Haina Lu, Working group on discrimination against women and girls; Ana Peláez Narváez, Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; Graeme Reid, Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Ana Peláez Narváez, Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts and Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR. Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the Special Procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/ UN Human Rights, country page – /en/countries/afghanistan For inquiries and media requests, please contact: hrc-sr-afghanistan@un.org For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org) Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter: @UN_SPExperts.