UN Spokesperson: Taliban Must Revoke Discriminatory Laws and Decrees

Image: news.un.org

Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the United Nations, has said that the Taliban must revoke all discriminatory laws and decrees in order to comply with international human rights standards.

Dujarric made the remarks during a press briefing in response to a question about the endorsement of the Taliban’s judicial code.

According to the UN spokesperson, both the organisation’s political mission and its partner human rights bodies have confirmed that the extensive set of decrees and laws imposed by the Taliban violate the human rights of the people of Afghanistan, particularly women and girls.

He added that the message delivered by Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN Under Secretary General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, during her visit to Kabul also focused on encouraging and pressing Taliban officials to repeal these laws and to ensure that all Afghans, including women and girls, enjoy basic human rights and dignity.

In response to criticism of its judicial code, the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice has stated that the group’s laws are “in accordance with Islamic Sharia” and that any objection to them is considered “an objection to Sharia and a crime”. The ministry warned that individuals who oppose Taliban laws will face legal prosecution.