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
- NOVEMBER 16, 2001AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
Asma Jahangir, specialist on extrajudicial, summary...
Asma Jahangir, specialist on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions for the 53-nation UN Human Rights Commission said reports of mass executions by warring factions in Afghanistan must be investigated properly and the perpetrators brought to just
- NOVEMBER 16, 2001AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
If captured, Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda terrorist...
If captured, Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda terrorist leaders could be executed by firing squad on an American warship or military base, according to the man who suggested having them tried by special military tribunals
- NOVEMBER 15, 2001AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
A war photographer told how he watched in horror as...
A war photographer told how he watched in horror as Northern Alliance troops executed a Taliban soldier
- NOVEMBER 15, 2001AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
Eight Western aid workers, locked in Afghan prisons...
Eight Western aid workers, locked in Afghan prisons and fearing for their lives, were freed by anti-Taliban fighters and spirited to safety aboard U
- NOVEMBER 14, 2001AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
Libyan leader Col Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi called on ousted...
Libyan leader Col Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi called on ousted Afghan President Borhanoddin Rabbani to rein in Northern Alliance troops in Kabul, the Libyan news agency Jana reported
- NOVEMBER 14, 2001AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
Pir Muhammad, an Northern Alliance commander, said...
Pir Muhammad, an Northern Alliance commander, said Taliban leaders in Kunduz executed five local commanders who were suspected of negotiating with the alliance
- NOVEMBER 13, 2001AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
The United Nations reported that more than 100 Taliban...
The United Nations reported that more than 100 Taliban fighters hiding in a school had been executed in Mazar-e-Sharif, which the Northern Alliance captured on November 9
- NOVEMBER 13, 2001AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
British Prime Minister Tony Blair called for the United...
British Prime Minister Tony Blair called for the United Nations to establish a presence in Kabul as soon as possible to fill the power vacuum left after the Taliban fled on the night of November 12
- NOVEMBER 13, 2001AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
The Northern Alliance defied the world and roared into...
The Northern Alliance defied the world and roared into Afghan capital Kabul
- NOVEMBER 12, 2001AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
The United Nations reported that more than 100 Taliban...
The United Nations reported that more than 100 Taliban fighters hiding in a school had been executed in Mazar-e-Sharif, which the Northern Alliance captured on November 9
- NOVEMBER 9, 2001AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
Australian, US and German special forces may mount...
Australian, US and German special forces may mount a risky operation to rescue the eight western aid workers being held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan
- NOVEMBER 9, 2001AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
Taliban fighters in Jalalabad, in the east, arrested...
Taliban fighters in Jalalabad, in the east, arrested 15 Afghan men who were suspected of spying