UN ‘concerned’ by Afghanistan morality law

KABUL: The UN mission in Afghanistan said on Sunday it was “concerned” about a morality law recently ratified by the Taliban authorities, criticising in particular restrictions on women.

The Taliban authorities on Wednesday announced the codification of a law with 35 articles detailing wide-ranging behaviour and lifestyle restrictions based on their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

The law sets out graduated punishments for non-compliance -- from verbal warnings to threats, fines and detentions of varying lengths -- imposed by the morality police under the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

“It is a distressing vision for Afghanistan´s future, where moral inspectors have discretionary powers to threaten and detain anyone based on broad and sometimes vague lists of infractions,” said Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

“After decades of war and in the midst of a terrible humanitarian crisis, the Afghan people deserve much better than being threatened or jailed if they happen to be late for prayers, glance at a member of the opposite sex who is not a family member, or possess a photo of a loved one,” Otunbayeva said.

Many components of the law have already been informally in place since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, and it remained unclear if their formal codification would lead to stricter enforcement.

Women have borne the brunt of restrictions the UN has labelled “gender apartheid”, which have pushed them from public life.