Hanna Neumann, member of the European Parliament, has said that the Taliban’s newly endorsed penal code codifies “gender apartheid” and the de facto enslavement of women and girls.
Neumann said in a post on X that the Taliban’s new “criminal law” entrenched severe discrimination against women and girls and warned against any normalization of relations with the Taliban.
“In reality, it codifies gender apartheid and the de facto enslavement of women and girls,” Neumann said, adding that accountability for Taliban actions was long overdue.
The criticism follows the Taliban’s approval of a penal code consisting of a preamble, three sections, ten chapters and 119 articles, which serves as their criminal law framework.
Legal experts say the code imposes harsh punishments and restricts dissent. Provisions include penalties of 20 lashes and six months in prison for insulting Taliban officials and up to 39 lashes and five years’ imprisonment for sheltering opponents.
The code also prescribes prison terms for those who abandon the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence, and legal experts say some articles impose heavier penalties on women than men.
Taliban have rejected the criticism. The Taliban-run Justice Ministry has said all laws are fully in line with Islamic sharia and warned that opposing them amounts to opposing Islamic law and could lead to prosecution.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the BBC the code was based on Taliban-era wartime regulations and Sharia law, calling it a judicial necessity and dismissing criticism as a misunderstanding.
Human rights groups say the penal code deepens restrictions on freedoms and risks further isolating Afghanistan internationally.
