Afghanistan
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- theocracy
- CONSTITUTION
- new, signed on January 16, 2004 (based on the one from 1964); suspended by the Taliban in 2021
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- the Taliban are applying their interpretation of Islamic law, which is partly based on the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- the Taliban government has not announced the formation of a legislative body
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Supreme Court and many provincial courts, religious courts and specialized courts
RELIGIONS
Muslim 99.7% (Sunnis 84.7 - 89.7%, Shia 10 - 15%), other <0.3% (2009 est.)
From the country
- FEBRUARY 18, 2002AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
An Afghan national - named Jabbar Tajik, son of Jamal...
An Afghan national - named Jabbar Tajik, son of Jamal - was hanged in Amol for breaking into a house and raping a woman
- FEBRUARY 7, 2002AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
In northern Afghanistan, members of the Hazara ethnic...
In northern Afghanistan, members of the Hazara ethnic group called for an international investigation into crimes committed by the Taliban
- JANUARY 24, 2002AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
Criminals in Afghanistan will continue to be punished...
Criminals in Afghanistan will continue to be punished with amputations and stonings under Islamic Sharia law as part of the interim government's efforts to crack down on crime, Chief Justice Fazul Hadi Shinwari said
- JANUARY 24, 2002AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
The governor of the southern Afghan province of Kandahar,...
The governor of the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, Gul Agha, called a mass meeting at the site of Taliban executions to pledge loyalty to Kabul
- JANUARY 18, 2002AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
David Hicks, a 26-year-old Autralian captured fighting...
David Hicks, a 26-year-old Autralian captured fighting with al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan in December 2001, has been transferred to a US marine base at Cuba's Guantanamo Bay
- JANUARY 18, 2002AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
There has been speculation - it is nothing more - that...
There has been speculation - it is nothing more - that David Hicks, the Australian captured in battle against the Taliban and al-Qa'ida, could be condemned to death by US military tribunal
- JANUARY 16, 2002AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
The growing diplomatic row over the al-Qaeda prisoners...
The growing diplomatic row over the al-Qaeda prisoners being held in Cuba intensified as the United Nations demanded that the detainees' human rights were respected
- JANUARY 15, 2002AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
UK Home Secretary Jack Straw warned US authorities...
UK Home Secretary Jack Straw warned US authorities not to execute British citizens suspected of fighting for Osama bin Laden
- JANUARY 15, 2002AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
Geoff Hoon, the defence secretary, said the transfer...
Geoff Hoon, the defence secretary, said the transfer of British nationals suspected of fighting with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan to Cuba was legal but they had to be treated "with proper respect for international law
- JANUARY 14, 2002AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
Three British al-Qaeda fighters are facing the death penalty
Three British al-Qaeda fighters are facing the death penalty
- JANUARY 13, 2002AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
Afghanistan's newly appointed chief justice said that...
Afghanistan's newly appointed chief justice said that he would give the death sentence to Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar if they were brought to his court
- JANUARY 12, 2002AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
Afghanistan's chief justice says the divine law has...
Afghanistan's chief justice says the divine law has to be applied if proof of a crime is furnished