The legal and judicial system of Afghanistan has been “weaponized” by its brutal Taliban terrorist rulers to oppress women and girls in what amounts to “crimes against humanity,” a U.N. investigator on human rights reported Thursday.
After seizing power in 2021 the Taliban suspended the 2004 constitution and laws protecting the rights of women and girls. These include a landmark law that previously criminalized 22 forms of violence against women, including rape and child and forced marriage, AP reports.
Even beauty salons have been targeted by the malign Taliban regime.
Now Richard Bennett of the U.N. has issued a report that sets out the calamity that now faces women in Afghanistan. The AP report states:
The Taliban dismissed all judges under the previous U.S.-backed government, including approximately 270 women, replacing them with men who share their extreme Islamic views, lack legal training and hand down decisions based on edicts issued by the Taliban, he said.
In addition, he noted that the Taliban have assumed full control over law enforcement and investigative agencies, systematically purging Afghans who worked for the previous government.
Taliban leaders have barred education for women and girls beyond sixth grade, banned most employment, and prohibited women from many public spaces, including parks, gyms and hairdressers.
New laws ban women’s voices and bare faces outside the home.
The Taliban remain isolated from the West because of their restrictions on women and girls and have only been recognized by Russia even as conservative voices have been raised for years calling out the oppression of Afghanistan women.
“Women who engage with the Taliban court system — whether as victims seeking redress, to resolve family issues, to obtain official documents or as alleged offenders — face a hostile environment,” Bennett outlined per the AP report.
“Courts often reject complaints made by women and are especially reluctant to accept cases relating to divorce, child custody and gender-based violence.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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