Taliban Ministry of Justice Announcement
The Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Has Been Enacted and Published in the Official Gazette

The Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice—based on Decree No. 9 dated 25 Muharram 1446 AH from the Esteemed Amir al-Mu’minin (May Allah protect him)—has been published in Issue No. 1524 of the Official Gazette and is now enforceable across the country.

This law was drafted by the General Directorate of Law Drafting and published by the Printing Directorate of the Ministry of Justice. It comprises thirty-five articles across four chapters, covering:
* general provisions,
* responsibilities of the overseers,
* penalties for public immorality, and
* miscellaneous and final provisions.

With the publication of this law, the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and Reception of Complaints has a clear and comprehensive legal framework for guiding public behavior and prohibiting immorality, in accordance with Islamic Sharia and Hanafi jurisprudence.

The Ministry of Justice of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan asks all governmental institutions and the public to implement and uphold this law.

The Taliban’s Law on Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice codifies a system of gender-based repression and moral policing under the guise of religious enforcement. It mandates full-body coverings for women, restricts their voices in public, bans cultural practices such as music and holidays, and prohibits women from traveling without a male guardian. These provisions severely restrict women’s visibility, autonomy, and participation in public life.

Enforcement is carried out by muhtasibs (moral police), who are authorized to impose escalating punishments—including warnings, fines, and detention without judicial oversight. This framework removes basic due process protections and facilitates arbitrary, extrajudicial punishment based on vague moral criteria.

The law violates a broad range of international human rights norms, including the rights to non-discrimination, liberty, freedom of expression, movement, due process, and cultural participation. Taken together, the systemic exclusion and control of women under this law may amount to gender apartheid, a serious breach of international legal standards.