Abdul Hakim Sharei, the Taliban’s Minister of Justice, has travelled to Russia to participate in the 13th St. Petersburg International Legal Forum, scheduled to begin on Monday, 19 May.

The three-day forum will convene legal experts, judicial officials, and justice ministers from various countries.

According to a statement issued by the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice on Saturday, 17 May, Sharei is expected to deliver a speech during the forum, which focuses on global legal challenges and international cooperation.

The presence of Taliban officials at international legal and diplomatic forums continues to generate mixed reactions, particularly given the group’s lack of formal recognition and widely criticised human rights record.

Several human rights organisations have condemned the Taliban’s participation in such events, questioning the legal and political legitimacy of their representatives. Critics highlight the Taliban’s severe restrictions on civil liberties, especially the systematic erosion of women’s rights under its rule.

Abdul Hakim Sharei is currently under international sanctions. In 2023, the European Union sanctioned him for overseeing the “systematic deprivation of Afghan women from work and education.” The Taliban’s Minister of Education and Attorney General were also sanctioned at the same time for “gender-based violence.”

The EU has accused Sharei of restructuring Afghanistan’s judicial system to suppress women. According to the EU, he revoked women’s legal licences, barred them from accessing defence attorneys, and hindered the enforcement of laws against gender-based violence, creating a legal vacuum that has led to widespread human rights abuses and the undermining of equality before the law.