The Taliban unveiled a new penal code for Taliban courts across Afghanistan, reports indicate.
“The Taliban has now approved the return of SLAVERY in Afghanistan. We must DEFUND the Taliban,” Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) said on social media. “Not only is it counter to U.S. interests and an affront to all military members who served there, but the Taliban continue to slide farther backwards.”
According to human rights organization Rawadari, the contents of the code are “deeply concerning and stand in clear contradiction to international human rights standards and the fundamental principles of fair trial.”
“The document legalizes and formalizes discrimination against religious minorities and the suppression of individuals’ basic freedoms, including violations of human dignity, restrictions on freedom of expression and thought, and arbitrary arrest and punishment,” the organization explained, noting that the code does not contain the right to remain silent, effective defense, freedom from arbitrary detention, and other legal matters.
Rawadari further noted that the document states that anyone witnessing “sinners committing a sin, is permitted to proceed with their punishment,” a measure that grants those aligned with the Taliban the authority to punish others. The document also divides individuals into “free” and “enslaved.”
According to Amu TV, the Taliban’s Higher Education Minister, Neda Mohammad Nadim, said on state-run TV, “These laws are not written for infidels to object to. Now that the penal code has been approved, they say it is too harsh and raise their voices to distance people from Islamic law and Islam.”
