Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has set new deadlines for filing appeals in court cases, according to a directive published on Thursday by the Taliban Supreme Court.
Under the order, parties seeking to challenge decisions by primary courts should file appeals with appellate courts within one month. Requests for further review by the supreme court, known as the tamiz stage, must be submitted within three months.
The directive applies to litigants contesting rulings issued by lower courts and establishes a uniform timeframe for appeal and review processes under the Taliban judicial system.
The new timelines differ significantly from those in place under Afghanistan’s previous legal framework. Under the former government’s criminal procedure law, individuals had 20 days to file an appeal after an initial verdict and 10 days to seek a higher review following an appellate decision.
That law, enacted decades ago, was among the legal frameworks the Taliban set aside after returning to power in 2021, replacing them with policies and directives aligned with their interpretation of Islamic law.
The order appears to formalize procedures within the Taliban court system, which has undergone a series of changes as authorities reshape legal institutions since regaining control of the country.
It was not immediately clear how the new deadlines would be implemented in practice or whether additional procedural guidelines would follow.
