Women’s Rights Group Warns New Taliban Penal Code Legalizes Repression in Afghanistan
The Majority Feminist Foundation has warned that with the immediate approval and implementation of the Taliban’s new penal code, repression, violence, and discrimination have become officially institutionalized in Afghanistan, placing citizens, especially women, under the absolute control of the Taliban administration.
On Monday night, 13th of Dalw, the foundation reported that the “Taliban Courts Penal Code” comprises 119 articles and has been enforced without public notification or any consultation with civil society or legal experts.
According to the report, the penal code legalizes violence in private spheres, gender discrimination, and harsh punishments, stripping many basic freedoms from citizens; a matter that has sparked serious human rights concerns.
In part of the document, absolute obedience to Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban leader, is mandated, and any opposition to the authorities, silence regarding criticisms, or failure to report opponents’ activities is defined as a crime; an approach that intensifies a climate of fear and widespread control.
The foundation states that women suffer the most under this penal code. According to its provisions, men are allowed to punish their wives, and domestic violence is criminalized only in limited cases; a condition that severely threatens the security and dignity of women.
The report further adds that the society is divided into four classes under this code, categorizing individuals as “free” and “slave”; a classification that imposes harsher punishments on lower classes and is in clear contradiction with principles of human equality.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, the group has gradually brought the country’s legal and social frameworks under its full control. In this process, women have been barred from participation in governmental and private institutions, and extensive restrictions have been imposed on their freedoms, education, and employment; limitations that have drawn negative responses from human rights organizations.
