Taliban Supreme Court and Insult to Public Reason; “You Are Either Ignorant or Biased”.
The Taliban Supreme Court has dismissed criticisms of its “Criminal Procedure Code” as stemming from either ignorance or bias.
Abdul Rahim Rashid, Head of Public Relations at the Supreme Court, stated in a note that critics have failed to understand the distinctions between Hud, Qisas, and Ta’zir.
According to Rashid, for crimes subject to Hud and Qisas, all individuals are punished equally regardless of social status, and the classification system in the Taliban’s code does not apply to these crimes.
He added that Ta’zir crimes are left to the discretion, interpretation, and judgment of the judge or ruler.
Rashid claimed that under this framework, individuals are categorized based on background, reputation, and social standing: scholars and respected individuals are usually only advised, tribal elders are summoned before a judge for punishment, and ordinary people with repeated offenses may face penalties such as short-term imprisonment.
Critics, however, argue that this interpretation of Ta’zir effectively violates the principle of equality among citizens and reduces an Afghan citizen’s status to that of a “slave or servant.”
They assert that the code portrays people not as rights-bearing citizens but as livestock, with the Taliban acting as shepherds, expecting gratitude for this humiliating arrangement.
Critics emphasize that this approach turns justice into a tool of power and severely undermines human dignity.
