European Parliament Member: Taliban Penal Code Institutionalises Gender Apartheid and the Enslavement of Women

Photo: European Parliament / Benoit Bourgeois

Hannah Neumann, a member of the European Parliament, has said that the Taliban’s penal code in Afghanistan “codifies gender apartheid and the de facto enslavement of women and girls”.

Neumann made the remarks in a message posted on the social media platform X.

She added that the Taliban’s accountability for their crimes has been delayed and emphasised that “there should be no normalisation with the Taliban.”

The Taliban courts’ penal code, which was recently endorsed by the group’s leader, reportedly contains provisions that narrowly define violence against women and children and formally legitimise widespread gender and religious discrimination, according to critics.

In response to criticism of the penal code, the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice said that objecting to the group’s penal code is “a crime under Sharia” and that those who object will face prosecution. The ministry said Taliban laws are based on the Quran, the Sunnah, and Hanafi jurisprudence, and that opposing them is considered opposition to Sharia.