The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed deep concern over the Taliban's newly implemented "morality law," stating that it contains a long and vague list of offenses, effectively granting Taliban enforcers broad powers to threaten and detain individuals.
Rosa Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of UNAMA, made these remarks on Sunday, August 25, in a statement. She emphasized that the Taliban's morality law imposes extensive restrictions on personal matters and grants wide-ranging authority to the morality enforcers. Otunbayeva described the law as deeply troubling, asserting that the people of Afghanistan do not deserve such treatment from the Taliban.
"After decades of war and in the midst of a terrible humanitarian crisis, the Afghan people deserve much better than being threatened or jailed if they happen to be late for prayers, glance at a member of the opposite sex who is not a family member, or possess a photo of a loved one," Otunbayeva added.
A few days ago, the Taliban enacted the "morality law," consisting of four chapters and 35 articles, signed into effect by the group's leader, Mullah Hibatullah. The law imposes extensive restrictions on Afghan women, prompting both domestic and international backlash.
