Taliban sever ties with UN over morality law criticism

The Taliban government's Ministry of Morality has said it will not cooperate with the UN mission in Afghanistan, calling it “an enemy”.

The statement came after the UN mission (UNAMA) warned that a new morality law requiring women to cover their bodies and keep their voices quiet could damage prospects for engagement with the international community.

The Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV) said that “due to the ongoing propaganda, the PVPV will not provide any support or cooperation to UNAMA, which will be seen as an opposing party.”

“We want international organizations, countries and individuals who criticized the said law to respect the religious values ​​of Muslims and refrain from such criticism and statements that insult Islamic values ​​and sanctities,” the ministry said in a statement posted on social media on Thursday.

Last week, United Nations The special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has been barred from entering the country after he joined other UN experts in a statement calling on the international community “not to normalise the actions of the de facto authorities or their appalling human rights violations”.

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The Taliban government's top spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told local media outlet Tolo News that Bennett “was sent to Afghanistan to spread propaganda and he is not someone we can trust.”

The Taliban leadership, not officially recognized by any country, continues to seek to fill Afghanistan's UN seat, which is occupied by a former official of the ousted foreign-backed government.

Taliban law sets punishments

The Taliban government's 35-article morality law was published in the official gazette on July 31.

It sets wide-ranging rules regarding men's clothing and attendance at prayer, and prohibits the possession of photographs of living beings, homosexuality, animal fighting, playing music in public places and on non-Muslim holidays.

The law establishes differentiated punishments: from verbal warnings to threats, fines and detentions of varying lengths.

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Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, called the law “a depressing picture of a future Afghanistan where morality inspectors have discretionary powers to threaten and detain anyone based on a long and sometimes vague list of violations.”

The United Nations and the European Union have warned that the law could damage prospects for engagement with the international community.

The UN Security Council has directed UNAMA to engage with Taliban authorities, including the PVPV, to whom it has directly raised concerns about moral policing policies and coercive practices.

In a report released last month, UNAMA said the ministry was playing an increasingly important role in enforcing religious laws in Afghanistan and accused it of creating a “climate of fear”.

The Ministry of Virtue and Vice implements the austere vision of Islam that has increasingly dominated Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power in 2021.

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Morality police squads are empowered to scold, arrest and punish citizens who violate the decrees. The laws marginalize women, effectively ban music and outlaw other activities deemed un-Islamic.

The Taliban government has consistently rejected international criticism of its policies, including restrictions on women that the UN has called “gender apartheid.”

The law is “firmly rooted in Islamic teachings” that must be respected and understood, chief government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on Monday.

“To reject these laws without such understanding, in our opinion, is an act of arrogance,” he said, adding that for a Muslim, criticizing the law “may even lead to a decline in his faith.”

– Author: © Agence France-Presse