Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Wednesday that demonstrations are associated with democratic and republican systems and have no place under Islamic law, defending the group’s recently enacted ban on protests across Afghanistan.
Mujahid made the remarks at a press conference in Kabul in response to a question about the prohibition on demonstrations under the Taliban’s newly approved “Shurta Law,” or police law.
“The Shurta Law approved in Afghanistan has been drafted according to the conditions of Afghanistan,” Mujahid said, arguing that provisions necessary for the country’s security, stability and crime prevention had been incorporated into the law.
He said demonstrations are associated with societies where different legal systems, including democracy and republicanism, are in place.
“If a protest means a peaceful objection,” Mujahid said, people can instead take their grievances to relevant Taliban authorities. He also argued that the restrictions would help prevent disorder, damage to property and what he described as wasted time.
The comments follow the Taliban’s formal prohibition of demonstrations under the Shurta Law, which was published by the group’s Justice Ministry on August 22 after being approved by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Article 50 of the law states that “all demonstrations throughout Afghanistan” are prohibited, formally codifying a restriction the Taliban had already enforced against public protests since returning to power in August 2021. The law contains 53 articles and places the Shurta, the Taliban’s term for police, under the Interior Ministry.
The ban has drawn criticism from international human rights organizations. Human Rights Watch described it as another step in the Taliban’s efforts to suppress dissent, while Amnesty International called the broader police legislation a further assault on human rights and described the protest ban as one of its most serious provisions.
The prohibition comes after several protests in Afghanistan were met with arrests and force by Taliban authorities. In June, Taliban forces detained dozens of people, including women, during protests in Herat. UN officials also reported that security forces opened fire during the demonstrations, killing at least one person.
Protests have become increasingly rare since the Taliban seized power, particularly as authorities have restricted public gatherings and cracked down on demonstrations over women’s rights, education and other issues.
The new law also expands the powers of Taliban police in several areas, including detention and the use of force, further formalizing the group’s system of security and public-order control.
