KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Amnesty International has warned that the new criminal regulation approved by the Taliban could escalate violence and discrimination against women and minority groups, with serious implications for human rights across the country.
In a statement on Friday, Amnesty said the “Criminal Procedure Regulation of the Courts,” recently endorsed by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, introduces punishments for a wide range of vaguely defined offences, creating the potential for arbitrary enforcement.
Under the regulation, domestic violence is considered a crime only if a woman suffers a broken bone or visible injuries. Women who repeatedly visit family members without their husband’s permission and defy court orders to return home could face up to three months in prison.
“The regulation makes an already repressive legal system even more draconian,” said Smriti Singh, Amnesty International’s South Asia Director. “Women and girls are, of course, among the most affected, with provisions that normalize domestic violence and place even greater restrictions on their movement and autonomy.”
The regulation also imposes harsher punishments for religious violations and, in some cases, scales penalties according to social status, which Amnesty said could institutionalize social discrimination.
“Provisions on strict religious observance and the scaling of punishment depending on social class will entrench discrimination and target the country’s most marginalized and economically disadvantaged people,” Singh added.
According to Amnesty, the regulation puts minority groups at heightened risk. It imposes severe penalties for religious non-compliance, targeting beliefs outside the Taliban’s Sunni interpretation, and allows arbitrary enforcement. The group warned that this could institutionalize discrimination, leaving minorities vulnerable to persecution and restricting their freedoms.
The right group highlighted other concerns, noting the law allows torture and corporal punishments such as flogging, expands the death penalty to a broader list of offences, and includes provisions that appear to recognize ownership over certain individuals, effectively amounting to slavery.
The organization warned that vague definitions could give Taliban judges broad discretion in interpreting the law, further undermining fair trial standards and increasing the risk of arbitrary punishment.
Amnesty called on the Taliban to immediately revoke or revise the “repressive” regulation to align with international human rights standards. It also urged the international community to “unequivocally” condemn the regulation and pressure the group to halt widespread and systematic violations of human rights in Afghanistan.
The regulation was endorsed by the Taliban leader on January 5 and circulated to courts and relevant offices on January 8. Amnesty said it contacted Taliban authorities to obtain an official copy but received no response.
