Kabul (HRNW)- A newly approved criminal code by the Taliban regime has raised serious concerns over legalized discrimination against religious minorities and suppression of fundamental freedoms. According to the London-based Afghan human rights organization Toladari, the code allows arbitrary detention, punishment, and social hierarchy-based discrimination, putting Shia, Ismailis, Ahlus Hadith, Sikhs, Hindus, and other non-Hanafi adherents at risk.
The draft, recently approved by Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, contains 119 articles that contradict international human rights standards, including restrictions on fair trials, access to defense attorneys, and the right to remain silent. The code also labels “rebels” as “agents of corruption,” imposes the death penalty, and permits public punishment of perceived sins.
Human rights advocates warn that the law could institutionalize repression, lawlessness, and systematic abuses if implemented without oversight, and have called on the international community, including the UN, to intervene.
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