Human Rights Watch slammed on Thursday the “ruthless effort to suppress all dissent” by the Taliban government, after a new police law banned demonstrations across Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 84-page legislation published by the justice ministry outlines a series of changes to law enforcement nationwide, including the rule that “all types of protests are banned”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elaine Pearson, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said the measure is “another step in the Taliban’s ruthless effort to suppress all dissent”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The Taliban authorities fear any dissent and so they are escalating their repression,” she said in a statement to AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Afghan government did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment on protests being outlawed through the legislation, which was made public this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Demonstrations have been rare during the Taliban administration’s five years in power. At least two people were killed in June when security forces allegedly opened fire at a women’s rights protest in the western city of Herat, a group of UN experts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amnesty International described the police law as “another sweeping assault on human rights in Afghanistan”, with the protest ban “among its most egregious provisions”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new law also extends detention without charge from three days to 10, or even longer by court order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This month, the intelligence agency detained two UN employees for 11 days without giving a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a country where corporal punishment is used for a range of crimes, the police legislation tells officers they cannot hit prisoners with weapons such as sticks or wires without a court order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They can, however, use force to get a suspect to repent, and are also allowed to use anger, according to the legislation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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