Taliban condemn UN official's 'disrespectful' statement about Islamic penal code

The Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Zabihullah Mujahid took to Twitter on Saturday to condemn a statement by a UN official as "disrespectful" to Islam.

A day ealier, the spokesperson of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights and representatives of Western Countries had called the punishment of flogging an "inhumane and cruel act".

Mujahid said that this remark on the implementation of the penal code of Islam was "disrespect to the Holy Religion of Islam and against the international standards".

Further, he stated that countries and organisations should not allow individuals to make "irresponsible and provocative statements" on their behalf regarding the "blessed religion of Islam".

This response came following the UN Rights Office Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani's statement on Friday against corporal punishment in Afghanistan.

Read Taliban treatment of women could be crime against humanity: UN

Shamdasani said that the UN Human Rights Office was appalled by the mass floggings in public by the de facto authorities, calling an end to this "abhorrent form of punishment".

The statement termed corporal punishment to be cruel and inhuman, adding that it is prohibited under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which Afghanistan is party to.

Shamdasani noted that since the Taliban rule began in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, the UN Human Rights Office has documented numerous cases of such punishment given in public, often for alleged violations of religious codes.

The statement concluded that corporal punishment is a human rights violation under international law.