UN Special Rapporteur: Taliban Regime Fundamentally Alters Afghanistan’s Judicial System
Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, has announced that the Taliban administration has fundamentally transformed the country’s judicial system by abolishing previous laws and restructuring judicial institutions. He stated that these changes have been made to implement an ideological and, in his words, ‘anti-women’ model.
Speaking yesterday at a UN side event, Bennett emphasized that many former judicial bodies have either been dissolved or altered to serve the specific views of the Taliban administration. He added that previous enforceable laws have been repealed and replaced with a new legal framework.
According to the UN Special Rapporteur, in this process, a number of former judges have been dismissed and replaced by individuals he described as ‘loyal mullahs.’ He believes this move has seriously challenged the independence and professional competence of the judiciary.
As one of the fundamental pillars of the rule of law, the judicial system plays a decisive role in ensuring justice and fundamental rights for citizens. However, critics say the changes imposed by the Taliban administration, especially regarding women’s rights and civil liberties, have sparked widespread concerns domestically and internationally.
