Taliban Spokesperson Claims “Human Laws” Removed from Afghan Courts After Their Takeover

Kokcha News Agency: Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed in an interview with the Taliban-controlled Afghan National Television on Sunday, August 19, that Afghanistan no longer faces a legal vacuum. He argued that even during the previous government, only Sharia law existed in Afghan courts, but some “human laws” were added, which have now been removed.

Mujahid described the constitution as merely a political document, stating, “The constitution only outlines the structure of the government, and we already had that structure. When the time is right, a constitution will be drafted. However, work is currently underway to develop laws for ministries.”

In the absence of a comprehensive constitution, the decrees and orders of Mullah Haibatullah are enforced across Afghanistan.

The constitution of the “Islamic Republic of Afghanistan” was drafted with the input of religious scholars and legal experts. Legal experts argue that the previous Afghan constitution was one of the best in the region and was fully compatible with Islam.

Earlier, on July 15, Abdul Hakim Sharai, the Taliban’s Minister of Justice, stated that the “Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet” form the basis of all Taliban laws. He claimed that the group has already extracted dozens of laws from reliable Islamic sources.

While the Taliban claim to base their laws on the Quran and the Sunnah, they have imposed strict restrictions on Afghan society over the past four years, including severe limitations on the fundamental rights of Afghan women and girls, such as the right to work, education, and freedom of movement.

Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada previously declared that he does not accept even a single article of the previous constitution and that the Taliban must draft their own laws. He also stated that the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court had proposed the previous laws with minor amendments, but he rejected them as unacceptable.

The Taliban have repeatedly announced that their “scholars” are working on drafting laws free from “Western influences.”

Four years after their return to power, the Taliban have yet to draft a constitution.

Earlier, Zabihullah Mujahid told the media that some articles of the previous Afghan constitution could be modified and that the group’s new laws would soon be approved.

The Taliban have also reneged on many of Afghanistan’s commitments to international conventions.