Taliban leader issues new criminal code permitting husbands to beat wives without visible injuries

Kabul (Afghan Verified) -- Hibatullah Akhundzada, leader of the Taliban, has issued a new 60-page criminal code distributed to courts across Afghanistan, according to a report in The Telegraph newspaper published Thursday.

The document reportedly allows men to beat their wives as an optional punishment (ta'zir), provided there are no broken bones or visible wounds. Beating is classified not as a crime but as discretionary punishment. Even if serious injury is proven, the maximum penalty for the husband is 15 days in prison.

The code stipulates that for a woman to pursue a complaint, she must personally show her wounds to a male judge while fully veiled and accompanied by a male guardian. In most cases of family violence in Afghanistan, the male guardian is a family member of the husband, according to the report.

Article 34 of the code states that a woman who leaves for her parents' home without her husband's permission -- even to escape violence -- faces up to three months in prison. Family members who shelter her would face the same punishment.

The Taliban has stated that women who disobey these new rules will be arrested and imprisoned. Criticism of the laws issued by the group has been declared a crime.

Previously, the Taliban recognized slavery and divided society into classes in its 'Criminal Principles of Courts' manual, the report added.

The Telegraph obtained a copy of the code, which has been presented to courts nationwide.