The Taliban's Ministry of Justice, emphasising on the prohibition of political parties, announced that engaging in political activities under the guise of a party in Afghanistan is illegal.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry warned political activists of "legal and religious" consequences for repeating political activities.
This Taliban ministry stated that political party activities have been declared as a prohibited act following the group’s takeover of power in 2021, and the directorate of political parties has been revoked and removed from the ministry's structures.
The ministry noted that some officials of political parties have recently "taken action and performed activities from their dissolved party addresses”.
The statement mentions, "The Ministry of Justice considers any activities under the name of a party illegal in Afghanistan and warns that it will take legal and religious action against offenders in case of repetition of such activities."
The ministry did not mention the name of any political activists and did not provide details regarding their actions and positions.
It seems that the Taliban refers to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and the Hezb-e Islami Party. Recently, the Taliban expelled Gulbuddin Hekmatyar from his residence in Kabul. The Taliban stated that Hekmatyar has been living in government property. This issue sparked extensive debates between members of the party and Taliban officials.
The Taliban's Ministry of Justice added that it has suspended the activities of social institutions that were active in the previous government, and only charities and unions can operate in accordance with principles and with official permission from the Taliban's Ministry of Justice.
The ministry also warned charities and other social institutions operating without official permission from the group to cease their activities.
Simultaneously with the release of this announcement, the Taliban’s Supreme Court announced that three individuals have been put on trial, for their involvement in political activities, in a military court in Kandahar.
On Thursday, the Taliban’s Supreme Court stated that two of the accused have been sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment each, while the third individual has received a sentence of 30 lashes.
As per the statement issued by the Taliban’s Supreme Court, the third individual has also been handed a prison sentence, although the duration of this imprisonment has not been specified.
This marks the first official announcement by the Taliban’s Supreme Court regarding the trial and punishment of individuals for engaging in political activities. Previously, numerous individuals were detained by the Taliban for their civil and political engagements, yet the group refrained from explicitly addressing penalties for political activities in their official communications.