The Taliban's Approach to International Law Could Determine the Legal Status of Their Regime
On August 15, 2021, Taliban forces seized Kabul, bringing an end to the era of the internationally sponsored Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IRA), and reviving the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in its place. While the Taliban’s approach to issues of rights remains unchanged, their control over Afghanistan is virtually unchallenged for now, fostering inevitable [...]
The resumption of any kind of negotiations or diplomatic ties with the Taliban should come with principles and conditions. Such conditions should be no less than those enshrined in the fundamental principle of human rights and dignity and expected in a multi-ethnic and democratic country. Afghanistan cannot afford to settle for anything less than the [...]
HRW annual rights report: 'transactional diplomacy' threatens global human rights system
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its 2024 World Report on Thursday detailing the state of global human rights. The report’s central theme was that “transactional diplomacy” undermined global human rights institutions and enabled autocrats to worsen violations. HRW Executive Director Tiran Hassan described “transactional diplomacy” as when “governments disregard the benefits of long-term relationships built [...]
UN concerned over Taliban crackdown on women dress code violations in Afghanistan
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) voiced its apprehension on Thursday about the Taliban’s recent spike in the arbitrary arrest and detention of women and girls based on non-compliance with the Islamic dress code. Last week the Taliban arrested the first women in Afghanistan for “bad hijab” since they took power in August 2021. [...]
Gender-Based Violence Runs Rife in the Taliban's Afghanistan
After a particularly violent beating at the hands of her husband, Sohaila,* 38, was forced out onto the streets of Kabul, where she braved the elements through the night while waiting for her parents to wake up and shelter her. No sooner did her father let her in, than did she find herself being hauled [...]
Editors’ note: Amid surging violence between Hamas and Israeli forces, JURIST is seeking perspectives from around the world. Neither this nor other commentaries in this series constitute JURIST editorial policy, nor do they necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial team. The 21st century is marked by globalization and Americanization, with transnational law under US [...]
The Taliban's Regressive Policies Have Spurred a Hidden Mental Health Crisis Among Afghan Women
The Taliban’s misguided belief that confining women to their homes protects them has led to an escalating mental health crisis and pervasive violence that are driving Afghan women to a despair from which far too many feel that suicide is the only means of escape. It was in this context that I enrolled several months [...]
Baroness Helena Kennedy of the Shaws, KC, is one of the UK’s most established lawyers, a bencher at Gray’s Inn and a member of the House of Lords. Kennedy is also a broadcaster, journalist and lecturer. She has not only acted in many of the most prominent cases of the last decade but has promoted civil [...]
Global dispatch: international reporting and views on Israel-Gaza conflict vary
In this first-of-its-kind JURIST “global dispatch” on a single topic, 15 law students and young lawyers from around the world, all of them JURIST correspondents from outside of Israel and Palestine, join together to offer a panoramic view of how the current Gaza conflict is unfolding in their countries and regions. Beyond the headlines, they [...]
The South African National Assembly passed a motion on Tuesday calling on the country’s government to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel. The same day, Scotland’s Parliament urged a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. South Africa’s ruling African National Congress sided with the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which drafted the motion, in urging the closure [...]
