Taliban legalizes slavery, steps up suppression of women and girls: ‘Slide farther backwards’

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By Anugrah Kumar - Posted at The Christian Post:

Published February 1, 2026

The Taliban has codified slavery and formalized a class-based justice system in Afghanistan through a newly approved criminal procedure code signed by its supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada. Legal experts and international rights groups say the new law strips away due process and institutionalizes privilege based on gender, religion and social status.

“The Taliban has now approved the return of slavery in Afghanistan. We must defund the Taliban,” Jim Risch, R-Idaho, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote on X. “Not only is it counter to US interests and an affront to all military members who served there, but the Taliban continue to slide farther backwards.”

The 119-article code, which includes references to free persons and slaves, divides Afghan society into four categories, namely religious scholars, elites, middle class and lower class, each of which faces different penalties for the same crimes, reports the human rights organization Rawadari.

A cleric receives "advice," while someone from the lower class may receive both imprisonment and corporal punishment.

Insulting a Taliban official could lead to 20 lashes and six months in prison. Individuals who abandon the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence can receive up to two years in prison.

Legal analysts who spoke with Amu TV said Article 58 prescribes life imprisonment with repeated corporal punishment for women who leave and return to Islam. Article 32 limits punishment for a husband who severely beats his wife to 15 days in jail, even if bruises or fractures are documented.



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