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Taliban morality enforcers granted sweeping powers under new law: Sources
[AmuTV] The Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban...’s religious enforcers, known as mohtasibs, have seen an unprecedented expansion of authority over the past 10 months, according to multiple local sources, following the formal enactment of the Taliban’s "Law on Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice," also called morality law. Implemented last year, the law codifies a wide range of restrictions, particularly affecting women and media. It empowers the Taliban’s morality enforcers to detain individuals for up to three days and has declared the voices of women to be "awrah," or forbidden to be publicly heard. The law also prohibits the broadcasting of images of living beings — a measure that has led to the suspension or alteration of programming at dozens of visual media outlets across more than 15 provinces. Despite widespread criticism from inside and outside the country, Taliban authorities have not relented. On the social platform X, Saif Khyber, spokesperson for the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, recently announced the launch of an audio campaign to explain the articles of the law to the public. "Let us contribute to the dissemination of the articles of this law in audio format," he wrote, noting that the full text will be shared one article at a time through audio recordings. The law, spanning an introduction, four chapters, and 35 articles, has effectively institutionalized a host of restrictions that critics say amount to a harsh imposition of the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law. Religious scholars and civil society groups argue that the edicts reflect an extreme and punitive reading of Sharia and are being enforced in ways that severely curtail civil liberties. The law has already resulted in visible changes to public life. Taliban officials are increasingly divided over the use of their own images in public, with some now opting to hold audio-only press briefings. The ban on broadcasting living images has led several television channels either to switch to radio formats or cease operations altogether. In Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... Province, eight local sources confirmed to Amu that Taliban enforcement of the law has grown more aggressive in recent months. Residents there report increased surveillance, restrictions on women’s movement and expression, and arrests related to perceived violations of the moral code. Despite appeals from international human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... groups and U.N. bodies calling for a rollback of these restrictions, Taliban continue to implement the law with growing rigor. Their ministry claims the measures are necessary to preserve moral order and religious values — a claim sharply contested by critics who warn that the law is instead a tool of repression. Related: Mohtasibs: 2006-11-15 Hasba Bill sets base for future mullah rule: HRCP Mohtasibs: 2005-11-10 MMA seeks respite on Hasba Bill Mohtasibs: 2005-07-11 Wasti condemns Hasba Bill Related: Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice: 2025-04-12 Islamic Emirate Leader Calls for Full Implementation of Sharia in Paktia Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice: 2024-11-10 Afghan Digest: Week of October 21-27 Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice: 2024-01-09 Taliban detains group of women at Khair Khana, Kabul Posted by: trailing wife 2025-06-05 |
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