International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan has filed applications for arrest warrants of the Supreme Leader of the Taliban, Haibatullah Akhunzada, and the Chief Justice of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Abdul Hakim Haqqani “for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds.”

“Today, I can announce that my Office has filed two applications for warrants of arrest before Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court in the Situation in Afghanistan,” the prosecutor said in a statement.

In addition to violating the rights of women, the requests also say that ‘persons whom the Taliban perceived as not conforming with their ideological expectations of gender identity or expression, and persons whom the Taliban perceived as allies of girls and women’ also faced persecution.

The prosecutor’s statement highlighted the persecution as including ‘right to physical integrity and autonomy, to free movement and free expression, to education, to private and family life, and to free assembly.’

The requests say that women and members of the LGBTQ+ community are facing ‘nprecedented, unconscionable and ongoing persecution’ under the Afghan government which is being legitimized under the name of Sharia.

“My Office further submits that the Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia should not, and may not be used to justify the deprivation of fundamental human rights or the related commission of Rome Statute crimes,” the statement said.

The warrants were requested on the basis of evidence collected by the prosecutor’s team and the both leaders have been accused of criminal offences under the Rome Statue. The investigative team also included gender, country experts and psycho-social experts.

ICC’s judges will now review the request to determine if grounds exist for Akhunzada and Haqqani’s arrests. Khan said that if the warrants are issued, he will make sure that the arrests are made.

He further said that his office will file further applications for other senior members of the Taliban soon. Khan said that Afghan survivors have suffered for ‘too long’ and his office would ensure that international law is implemented.