Amnesty International: The new Criminal Regulation recently endorsed by the Taliban leader will further entrench violence and discrimination against women, Amnesty International said in a new legal analysis documenting its wide-ranging and regressive impact on human rights. The “Criminal Procedure Regulation of the Courts”, which lays out punishments and sentencing for a range of vague and overly broad offences, criminalizes domestic violence only in cases where a woman has suffered a broken bone or visible injuries. The decree also prescribes a three-month prison sentence for any woman who regularly visits family members without her husband’s permission and who refuses a court order to return home. The regulation also prescribes harsh punishments for religious non-compliance, more severe punishments for people of lower social status and recognizes slavery. Other provisions authorize the destruction of property as a form of punishment, institutionalize torture and other ill-treatment through corporal punishment, and sanction the death penalty for a greater number of offences. Click here to read more (external link).
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Khaama: The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report released on Friday, March 6, that 185 civilian casualties were verified between Feb. 26 and March 5. The casualties included 56 killed and 129 wounded, mostly due to airstrikes and indirect fire during clashes along the border with Pakistan. The mission said more than half of the victims, about 55% — were women and children. UNAMA added that one airstrike in Barmal district of Paktika province alone killed 14 civilians, including four women, two girls, five boys and three men, while six others were wounded. 
Amu: Clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistani troops entered an eighth day on Thursday, with reports of scattered fighting across several eastern and southeastern provinces of Afghanistan and renewed airstrikes by Pakistan. Local sources told Amu TV that overnight and early morning clashes were reported in parts of Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Kunar, Nangarhar and Kandahar provinces in eastern Afghanistan. The engagements were described as sporadic exchanges of fire along sections of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Sources in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province in south said Pakistani strikes there killed four civilians, including three women. 
Afghanistan International: Afghanistan has ranked last among 181 countries in the latest Women, Peace and Security Index published by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, recording the poorest performance on women’s rights. Denmark ranked first. 
