Amnesty International has listed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) issuance of arrest warrants for senior Taliban leaders as one of the most significant human rights achievements of the year.
In a statement issued Monday, July 15, the rights organisation released a list of 29 human rights wins recorded in the first half of 2025 across countries including Afghanistan, Chile, Cameroon, Türkiye, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Greece.
Topping the list was the ICC’s arrest warrants for Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the group's chief justice. The two are accused of crimes against humanity.
“These are the first public arrest warrants sought by the ICC in Afghanistan since the country became a member of the court in 2003,” Amnesty International said in the statement.
Despite the ongoing global challenges marked by “fear, division and hatred,” Amnesty noted that activists around the world continued to fight for justice and preserve hope.
The report also highlighted other key developments, including the release of several human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia, US sanctions on companies supplying weapons to Sudan, and new measures to combat violence against women in Algeria.
The ICC announced on July 8 that it had issued arrest warrants for Akhundzada and Haqqani. The move was welcomed by Western governments, Afghan women’s rights activists, and international human rights groups.
The Taliban, however, rejected the court’s legitimacy, stating they do not recognise the ICC and that its decisions would not affect their policies or behaviour.
