RASC News Agency: After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban have intensified the imposition of laws and reforms to consolidate their control over the country. On January 7, 2026, the group secretly implemented a new “Criminal Procedure Code” across Afghanistan. The law was signed by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and sent to provincial courts without public consultation or debate. While presented as a technical framework for judicial processes, it fundamentally transforms the law: it is no longer a limitation on power but a tool to enforce ideological obedience.
The code consists of 119 articles across ten chapters and governs not only criminal procedures but also social behavior, religious beliefs, political loyalty, family relations, and personal conduct. Courts have been stripped of independent judicial authority and instead act as instruments of Taliban-defined moral and political order.
The law institutionalizes class-based justice, dividing Afghanistani society into four legal categories: religious scholars, elites, middle class, and lower class. Punishments are determined by social status, not the severity of the offense, violating the basic modern principle of equality before the law. Even from an Islamic jurisprudence perspective, this hierarchy is indefensible, as accountability in Islam applies to all regardless of status.
Religious identity is limited to a narrow, group-sanctioned interpretation. Only followers of the Sunni Hanafi school are recognized; other sects are considered heretical or apostate. Apostasy, promotion of alternative beliefs, or criticism of religious edicts are criminalized with severe punishments. Political dissent is treated as corruption or rebellion, potentially punishable by death, while silence is considered suspicious, and citizens are obliged to report others’ violations.
Women face extreme restrictions. Husbands or guardians have the right to punish, and women visiting their parental homes without permission can be imprisoned. Violence against women is considered a crime only if it results in visible physical harm, with limited penalties. The law also revives legal distinctions between “free” and “slave” individuals, effectively reintroducing terms of slavery, in direct conflict with international law and human dignity.
Fundamental legal protections are absent: no right to counsel, right to silence, or protection against forced confessions. Punishments are left open-ended, granting judges broad discretion. Individuals are even allowed to directly punish “offenders,” effectively legalizing vigilante enforcement under the guise of religion.
The code has faced severe condemnation. The Supreme Council of National Resistance of Afghanistan warned that it could push the country into conditions “worse than the medieval era,” undermining human rights, religious equality, and human dignity.
The Taliban have turned this law into a tool to consolidate power and suppress dissent. It is irreformable, entrenching a system of organized oppression and discrimination. For the international community, this law removes any ambiguity about Taliban governance: this is not a weak transitional regime but a government that has legalized domination and weaponized justice for suppression.
By Saima Afzal
