Spokesperson says \u2018obligatory\u2019 command by Akhundzada came after the secretive leader met with a group of judges
\n Kabul
\nAfghanistan\u2019s supreme leader has ordered judges to fully enforce aspects of Islamic law that include public executions, stonings and floggings, and the amputation of limbs for thieves, the Taliban\u2019s chief spokesperson said.
\nZabihullah Mujahid tweeted late Sunday that the \u201cobligatory\u201d command by Hibatullah Akhundzada came after the secretive leader met with a group of judges.
\nAkhundzada, who has not been filmed or photographed in public since the Taliban returned to power in August last year, rules by decree from Kandahar, the movement\u2019s birthplace and spiritual heartland.
\nThe Taliban promised a softer version of the harsh rule that characterised their first stint in power, from 1996-2001, but have gradually clamped down on rights and freedoms.
\n\u201cCarefully examine the files of thieves, kidnappers and seditionists,\u201d Mujahid quoted Akhundzada as saying.
\n\u201cThose files in which all the sharia (Islamic law) conditions of hudud and qisas have been fulfilled, you are obliged to implement.
\n\u201cThis is the ruling of sharia, and my command, which is obligatory.\u201d
\nMujahid was not available on Monday to expand on his tweet.
\nHudud refers to offences which, under Islamic law, certain types of punishment are mandated, while qisas translates as \u201cretaliation in kind\u201d \u2014 effectively an eye for an eye.
\nHudud crimes include adultery — and falsely accusing someone of it \u2014 drinking alcohol, theft, kidnapping and highway robbery, apostasy and rebellion.
\nQisas covers murder and deliberate injury, among other things, but also allows for the families of victims to accept compensation in lieu of punishment.
\nIslamic scholars say crimes leading to hudud punishment require a very high degree of proof, including \u2014 in the case of adultery — confession, or being witnessed by four adult male Muslims.
\nSocial media has been awash for over a year \u2014 and even recently \u2014 with videos and pictures of Taliban fighters meting out summary floggings to people accused of various offences.
\nThe Taliban have also several times displayed in public the bodies of kidnappers they said were killed in shootouts.
\nThere have also been reports of adulterers being flogged in rural areas after Friday prayers, but independent verification is difficult to obtain.
\nRahima Popalzai, a legal and political analyst, said the edict could be an attempt by the Taliban to harden a reputation they may feel has softened since they returned to power.
\n\u201cIf they really start to implement hudud and qisas, they will be aiming to create the fear society has gradually lost,\u201d she told AFP.
\nShe added the Taliban also wanted to burnish their Islamic credentials.
\n\u201cAs a theocratic setup, the Taliban want to strengthen their religious identity among Muslim countries.\u201d
\nWomen in particular have seen hard-won rights evaporate in the past 15 months, and they are increasingly being squeezed out of public life.
\nMost female government workers have lost their jobs \u2014 or are being paid a pittance to stay at home \u2014 while women are also barred from travelling without a male relative and must cover up with a burqa or hijab when out of the home.
\nIn the past week, the Taliban also banned women from entering parks, funfairs, gyms and public baths.
\nDuring their first rule, the Taliban regularly carried out punishments in public \u2014 including floggings and executions at the national stadium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spokesperson says \u2018obligatory\u2019 command by Akhundzada came after the secretive leader met with a group of judges Kabul Afghanistan\u2019s supreme leader has ordered judges to fully enforce aspects of Islamic law that include public executions, stonings and floggings, and the amputation of limbs for thieves, the Taliban\u2019s chief spokesperson said. Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted late Sunday […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295250,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-295212","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n