Title: Study on the So-Called Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (2025)
UN Reference: A/HRC/58/74
Summary: This official United Nations report, authored by Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett and presented to the Human Rights Council at its 58th session, provides a critical analysis of the Taliban’s 2024 law on the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice. The report argues that this law formalizes many repressive decrees already imposed since 2021, institutionalizing a system of discrimination—particularly against women and girls—that may constitute crimes against humanity, including gender persecution. It details the law’s content, enforcement methods, historical parallels, and wide-ranging human rights violations, and calls for principled international response, accountability, and support for Afghan civil society.
Key Findings:
- Institutionalized Oppression: The 2024 law codifies and enforces discriminatory practices, including gender segregation, religious coercion, and moral policing, under the Taliban’s de facto government.
- Gender-Based Persecution: Women and girls are subject to mandatory hijab, mahram-based restrictions on movement, and are excluded from education, employment, and public life.
- Violation of International Law: The law violates Afghanistan’s obligations under treaties such as the ICCPR, CEDAW, CRC, and the Rome Statute.
- Legal Irregularities & Religious Misuse: The law was passed without public consultation, and its justification relies on selective and decontextualized use of Hanafi jurisprudence, excluding other Islamic schools of thought.
- Arbitrary Enforcement: Muhtasibs (religious enforcers) are granted unchecked power to punish individuals without due process, including physical detention, fines, and public humiliation.
- Suppression of Cultural & Civil Liberties: Music, media, traditional celebrations (e.g. Nowruz, Yalda), and expression through dress, art, or speech are heavily restricted.
- Impact on Minorities & LGBTQ+ Persons: The law criminalizes same-sex relations, targets religious minorities, and imposes societal segregation, exacerbating discrimination.
- Climate of Fear and Self-Censorship: Surveillance, home raids, and pressure from family and religious leaders have created widespread anxiety and self-regulation among the public.
- Long-Term Risks: The report warns of deteriorating economic, cultural, and social conditions, a deepening humanitarian crisis, and increased risks of radicalization and insecurity.
- Call to Action: The report urges the international community to deny Taliban recognition, increase support for Afghan civil society (especially women-led initiatives), and pursue justice through the ICC and other mechanisms.
Related Resources:
Translated Taliban Law on Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (2024, PDF)
Inside Afghanistan’s Gender Apartheid – Multimedia Project (Atlantic Council & Civic Engagement Project)
Bishnaw Project Survey on Women & Taliban Law Impacts (2024)
Citations & References: The report is grounded in Afghanistan’s international legal obligations and supported by interviews with over 7,200 Afghans, expert consultations, and documentation from both Afghan and international legal experts. Hanafi jurisprudence is referenced extensively in the Taliban’s law, but its use is critically analyzed in the report. Footnotes and methodology are detailed throughout the official UN document.