Afghanistan's Taliban govt says new morality law will be 'gently' enforced

Afghanistan's Taliban authorities said Monday a recently ratified morality law would be enforced "gently", after the international community and Afghans voiced concern over new restrictions.

Women must cover completely and not raise their voices in public, according to a 35-article law announced Wednesday by the justice ministry.

It imposes wide-ranging stipulations from behaviour to dress and social interactions, including rules on men's clothing and beard length as well as bans on homosexuality, animal fighting, playing music in public and non-Muslim holidays.

The United Nations, rights groups and Afghans have expressed concern that the law could lead to increased enforcement of the rules, many already informally in place since the Taliban authorities took power in 2021 and implemented a strict interpretation of Islamic law -- or sharia.

"I must make it clear that force and oppression won't be used while implementing these rules," said deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat in a voice message he shared with AFP.

The rules "would be implemented very gently, informing people's understanding, and guiding them", he said.

The Taliban government has consistently dismissed international criticism of their policies, including condemnation of restrictions on women the UN has labelled "gender apartheid".

The law sets out graduated punishments for non-compliance -- from verbal warnings to threats, fines and detentions of varying lengths -- enforced by the morality police under the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, has called the law a "distressing vision for Afghanistan's future, where moral inspectors have discretionary powers to threaten and detain anyone based on broad and sometimes vague lists of infractions".