dpa/Die Presse, 26 February 2026
In this (German-language) article by the German news agency dpa about the Taleban’s new criminal code, AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted as saying:
For Thomas Ruttig, a long-time Afghanistan expert, the new decree offers insights into the Taleban’s view of the people in their country. The Taleban’s stance, he says, is that “after 20 years of foreign rule, the [Afghan] people have become morally degenerate; now they need to be educated. The penal code makes this clear,” says the former co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network.
So far, little is known about how the new legal framework is being applied in the country’s courts. This new legal text, Ruttig explains, is part of a certain tradition. “The Taleban often operate on the basis of customary law, according to which it should be clear how one should behave.” The new legal framework is now a codification of these rules—with numerous ambiguities.
Also at Austria’s main public broadcaster’s website. and German private n-tv.
Revisions:
This article was last updated on 2 Mar 2026
