GENEVA: The United Nations human rights chief on Thursday warned that a new decree by Afghanistan’s Taliban regime broadens the use of the death penalty and corporal punishment, further entrenching repression in the country, particularly against women and girls.
Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that the decree, signed last month by Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, defines crimes and punishments that contravene Afghanistan’s international legal obligations.
“It provides for the use of corporal punishment for numerous offences, including in the home, legitimising violence against women and children,” Turk said.
“The decree, which is expected to come into effect soon, extends the number of offences that carry the death penalty.”
He said the decree also criminalises criticism of the de facto leadership and its policies, in violation of freedoms of expression and assembly.
#Afghanistan: @volker_turk calls on the de facto authorities to rescind all discriminatory decrees, edicts and policies, warning of their crushing impact on the Afghan people, particularly women and girls. #HRC61https://t.co/rwCoCMm5rG pic.twitter.com/PuNjSsGK0r
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) February 26, 2026
Afghan Taliban’s repressive policies
According to the text reviewed by Amu TV, the new penal code authorises the killing of 11 categories of people and grants Akhundzada sole authority to approve executions deemed necessary for what the Taliban describe as the “public interest”.
Article 16 of the code allows for “discretionary execution” (ta’zir by death) for a broad range of offences. These include armed opposition to the Taliban, promoting beliefs considered contrary to Islam, sorcery and repeat criminal acts.
The code permits execution of individuals accused of repeatedly committing what it describes as “corruption”, a term that is not clearly defined.
It also authorises the killing of those labelled sa‘i bil-fasad — a category that includes armed opponents, highway robbers, individuals accused of sodomy and others deemed to cause “general harm” where reform is considered impossible without death.
Another provision allows execution of those who “defend false beliefs contrary to Islam”, including leaders and teachers of Islamic sects outside Sunni Islam.
The code refers to followers of non-Sunni schools as mubtadi‘ (innovators) and permits execution of their leaders if deemed necessary for public interest.
Additional clauses authorise the killing of individuals accused of sorcery and those labelled zindiq — people judged to secretly reject Islam despite outwardly appearing Muslim.
A second subsection permits execution of repeat offenders accused of sexual relations outside what the Taliban define as lawful marriage, repeat sodomy, repeated killing by strangulation and repeat theft.
All executions require the explicit approval of the Taliban leader.
The provisions fall under discretionary punishments rather than fixed Islamic penalties (hudud), giving broad interpretive authority to the leadership.
‘Gender apartheid’
Turk urged the Taliban to rescind the decree, impose a moratorium on executions and end corporal punishment.
He said women and girls face persecution under a system he likened to gender apartheid.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have barred girls from education beyond primary school and restricted women’s movement and employment through a series of morality laws.
The authorities maintain that women’s rights are an internal matter and should be addressed locally.
Dozens of Afghan and international civil society groups have called on the Human Rights Council to condemn Taliban policies and avoid normalising relations with the group.
In a joint statement presented at the council’s 61st session, 86 Afghan organisations and 13 international groups described the new penal code as a dangerous formalisation of repression.
The signatories included the World Organisation Against Torture, the Canadian Network for Education Defenders, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and the Asia Democracy Network.
They said the code violates fair trial standards, freedom of expression, non-discrimination and the rights of women and children.
They urged the international community to support victim-centred accountability efforts and strengthen backing for Afghan civil society and human rights defenders.
The council’s current session began on February 23 and runs until March 31. Afghanistan’s human rights situation is due to be reviewed on February 26.
Healthcare crisis for women
Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, warned in a new report that women’s and girls’ access to healthcare has sharply deteriorated since the Taliban takeover.
The study, based on discussions and interviews with 137 people across 29 provinces, 17 written submissions and survey data from more than 8,000 women in 33 provinces, found that bans on women’s education and employment and restrictions on movement have deepened a health crisis.
Bennett said the Taliban’s return to power has curtailed women’s ability to make independent decisions about their bodies and health.
Without urgent action, Afghanistan faces a troubling trajectory, the report warned.
According to the findings, women’s health needs are often treated as secondary due to entrenched patriarchal norms and economic dependence.
Medical care is frequently delayed until conditions become severe.
The report said healthcare in Afghanistan is largely framed around maternal and reproductive services, while chronic illnesses, mental health and preventive care are overlooked.
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In many areas, examinations by male healthcare workers are considered inappropriate, limiting access further.
Women in remote and rural regions face long distances to facilities, shortages of female staff, high treatment costs and limited transport.
Taliban response
Taliban Higher Education Minister Neda Mohammad Nadim dismissed critics of the penal code as “infidels” during a speech in Paktia province, according to an audio recording broadcast by the Taliban-run national broadcaster.
“These laws are not written for infidels to object to,” he said, adding that critics were trying to distance people from Islamic law.
The Taliban justice ministry has previously warned that protesting or criticising Taliban legislation constitutes a crime, saying all laws issued by the group are in accordance with Islamic principles.
Human rights groups say the new penal code places wide segments of Afghan society at risk, particularly religious minorities and those accused of vaguely defined moral or political offences.
