Overview
- Volker Türk says a decree signed by Hibatullah Akhundzada authorizes broader corporal punishment, legitimizes violence in homes, criminalizes criticism of the de facto authorities, and adds more death‑penalty offenses, with implementation expected soon.
- Türk urges the Taliban to rescind the measure, impose a moratorium on executions, and end corporal punishment, describing the system as a form of gender apartheid.
- UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett reports that Taliban rules, a ban on women’s medical education, and steep donor funding cuts are denying emergency care and pushing Afghanistan’s health system toward collapse.
- Documented cases include ambulances refused to unaccompanied women and a mother forced to give birth at a hospital gate, illustrating mounting risks to women and children.
- Accountability efforts referenced in UN briefings include ICC arrest warrants for Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani and a new UN investigative mechanism, as officials also report 13 civilian deaths from recent Pakistani airstrikes and call for urgent dialogue.