UN Human Rights Expert Expresses Concern Over Taliban’s New Criminal Code
Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, has stated that he is reviewing the criminal code implemented by courts under Taliban administration from both human rights and Sharia law perspectives. Preliminary findings of this review are alarming.
On Saturday, January 24th, Bennett wrote in a post on the social media platform X that although the investigation is ongoing, even at this stage, the consequences of this code for the people of Afghanistan are clearly concerning.
According to him, the newly introduced document, presented as the criminal procedure code in Taliban-run courts, does not align with internationally accepted human rights standards and could negatively affect the public’s access to fair justice.
Published excerpts of this criminal code include provisions justifying the killing of opponents, recognizing slavery, and criminalizing dancing. These points have sparked widespread criticism from human rights organizations and raised serious questions about the judicial practices of the Taliban administration.
The UN Special Rapporteur added that a more detailed statement on this issue will be released soon, which may help galvanize the international community to more actively demand accountability for the restrictions and fundamental rights violations faced by the people of Afghanistan.
