Human Rights Watch has sharply criticised Afghanistan's Taliban government after a new 84-page police law, published by the justice ministry, formally banned all forms of public demonstration across the country. Elaine Pearson, the organisation's Asia director, called the measure "another step in the Taliban's ruthless effort to suppress all dissent," while Amnesty International described the legislation as "another sweeping assault on human rights in Afghanistan." The ban underscores a broader crackdown that has intensified over the Taliban's five years in power, during which protests have been rare; at least two people were killed in June when security forces allegedly opened fire on a women's rights demonstration in Herat.