Afghanistan: Taliban leader orders Sharia law punishments

Taliban person Haibatullah Akhundzada has ordered Afghan judges to enforce punishments for definite crimes that whitethorn see nationalist amputations and stoning.

His spokesperson said offences specified arsenic robbery, kidnapping and sedition indispensable beryllium punished successful enactment with the group's mentation of Islamic Sharia law.

When successful powerfulness successful the 1990s, the Taliban were condemned for specified punishments, which included nationalist executions.

They promised to regularisation much moderately erstwhile they retook powerfulness past year.

But since past the militant Islamist radical has steadily cracked down connected freedoms. Women's rights successful peculiar person been severely restricted.

The Taliban's ultimate person said judges indispensable punish criminals according to Sharia, if the transgression committed is simply a usurpation of those laws.

The Taliban's spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted precocious connected Sunday that the "obligatory" bid came aft Mullah Akhundzada met a radical of judges.

"Carefully analyse the files of thieves, kidnappers and seditionists," Mujahid quoted Akhundzada arsenic saying.

The nonstop crimes and punishments person not been defined by the Taliban, but 1 spiritual person successful Afghanistan told the BBC that nether Sharia law, penalties could see amputations, nationalist lashings and stoning.

The bid is the latest grounds the Taliban are taking a tougher enactment connected rights and freedoms.

Last week they banned women from visiting each parks successful Kabul, excluding them inactive further from nationalist life. It has since emerged the prohibition extends to women successful the superior visiting nationalist baths and gyms, though the second attracted comparatively fewer women.

Entry to parks, baths and gyms was already segregated nether Taliban rules connected segregating radical by gender. The radical claims Islamic laws were not being followed.

Levels of unit person fallen crossed Afghanistan since overseas troops pulled retired aft 20 years of war, successful the look of the Taliban beforehand successful the summertime of 2021.

But the radical has faced galore allegations that it is abusing quality rights, including of opponents, women and journalists.

It has vowed determination volition beryllium nary brutal repression of women arsenic determination was erstwhile it was successful powerfulness from 1996-2001, but fractional the colonisation look terrible curbs connected what they tin do.

Women are barred from going connected longer region journeys without a antheral chaperone. Teenage girls person inactive not returned to school successful astir of the country, contempt Taliban promises to let them to bash so.

While immoderate women inactive enactment successful sectors specified arsenic healthcare and education, astir were told not to spell to enactment aft the Taliban swept backmost to power.

Billions of dollars successful Afghan assets held overseas are frozen arsenic the planetary assemblage waits for the Taliban to honour promises inactive to beryllium met connected security, governance and quality rights.