Taliban Declare Opposition To Their Laws ‘A Crime’
The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice said Wednesday that all legislative documents issued by the group are based on Islamic law and warned that objections to those laws would be considered a crime.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice said Wednesday that all legislative documents issued by the group are based on Islamic law and warned that objections to those laws would be considered a crime.
In a statement, the ministry said the Taliban’s legal texts were drafted by committees of clerics across various ministries and institutions, based on the Quran, Sunnah and recognised Hanafi jurisprudence. It said none of the legislation contradicts Islamic Sharia or lacks a religious basis.
“Opposing these laws amounts to opposing Sharia,” the statement said, adding that objections “lack religious and scholarly basis, stem from ignorance or deliberate disregard, and constitute a crime under Sharia.” The ministry said those who object would be referred to judicial authorities for prosecution.
The warning comes amid growing criticism of the Taliban’s newly endorsed penal code. Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada recently approved the code, which consists of 10 chapters and 119 articles. The Taliban Supreme Court has said it will soon be published in the group’s official gazette.
Over the past four years, the Taliban have replaced Afghanistan’s previous constitution with a series of legal directives, including procedural guidelines, a statute and dozens of decrees, rulings and instructions issued by Akhundzada.
Afghan and international civil society activists have criticised the penal code, saying it legitimises practices such as slavery, domestic violence and a class-based social order.
