United Nations human rights experts expressed grave concern on Friday over the Taliban’s recent enactment of the “Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,” describing it as a measure that intensifies the group’s already repressive grip on Afghanistan and signals a significant regression in human rights, reminiscent of their harsh rule in the 1990s.
The law, which reinforces existing discriminatory policies such as mandatory dress codes and the requirement for women to have a male guardian (mahram), also introduces harsher restrictions. Women can now be punished for singing or speaking outside their homes, and men and boys are subjected to strict regulations on their appearance, according to the experts.
In addition to these gender-based restrictions, the law criminalizes LGBTQ+ individuals and imposes severe limitations on religious minorities, forbidding “non-Islamic” ceremonies and prohibiting any association with or assistance to “non-believers.” The experts highlighted that these measures are disturbingly similar to the Taliban’s practices during their previous rule, underscoring that the group has not moderated its approach since regaining power.
The new law also severely restricts freedom of expression, with broad bans on publishing content deemed contrary to the Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia law. These restrictions further endanger press freedom and put journalists at increased risk, effectively stifling independent reporting and severely limiting the flow of information within and outside Afghanistan.
Empowered by the law, Taliban morality inspectors now have extensive authority to detain and punish individuals arbitrarily, including through physical means, for so-called moral crimes—often based solely on suspicion, without any requirement for evidence or due process. The law also authorizes these inspectors to enter private homes, representing a significant infringement on the right to privacy and exacerbating an already pervasive climate of fear and surveillance across Afghan society.
In their statement, the UN experts described the law as institutionalizing “a system of discrimination and oppression amounting to crimes against humanity, including gender persecution.” They called on the international community to demand full compliance with Afghanistan’s human rights obligations and to hold the Taliban accountable for ongoing violations, with some experts urging the codification of gender apartheid.
The experts emphasized the need for a robust, coordinated strategy from international actors, particularly UN Member States, that places human rights—especially women’s rights and gender equality—at the center of their engagement with Afghanistan. They warned that any engagement lacking such a focus would only reinforce the Taliban’s impunity and embolden further abuses.
“The continued failure to end these violations wrongly suggests that the fundamental rights of Afghan women and girls are negotiable, particularly their rights to equality, security, and dignity,” the experts said. “It also seriously undermines the prospects of a stable, inclusive, and prosperous Afghanistan.”
The statement was issued by a group of UN human rights experts, including Richard Bennett, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, and members of several working groups and committees focused on discrimination against women and girls, violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and freedom of religion or belief, among others.
