CNN, 1 March 2026
This article on the new Taleban panel code both refers to AAN’s translation of the text and its analysis of it:
The decree was issued last month but has only recently come to international attention after it was leaked to the Afghan rights group Rawadari, which published it in the original Pashto. The Afghanistan Analysts Network then translated the document into English.
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The Taliban insists that all its rulings are in line with Islamic Sharia law and have religious legitimacy.
“If a husband beats his wife so severely that it results in a broken bone, or an open wound, or a black and blue wound appears on her body, and the wife appeals to a judge, then the husband will be considered an offender,” the code says, according to the Afghan Analysts Network’s translation. “A judge should sentence him to 15 days’ imprisonment.”
The punishment for animal abuse is more severe. The decree says that anyone who forces animals like dogs or cockerels to fight should be sentenced to five months in prison.
Revisions:
This article was last updated on 2 Mar 2026
