law of afghanistan

282 Pages·2015·3.06 MB·English

3 R D E D I T I O N
A N I N T R O D U C T I O N T O T H E
L A W O F A F G H A N I S T A N
An Introduction to the

Law of Afghanistan

Third Edition

Afghanistan Legal Education Project (ALEP)
at Stanford Law School
http://alep.stanford.edu
[email protected]
Stanford Law School
Crown Quadrangle
559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305-8610
www.law.stanford.edu

ALEP – STANFORD LAW SCHOOL

Authors
Eli Sugarman (Co-Founder, Student Co-Director, 2007-09)
Alexander Benard (Co-Founder, Student Co-Director, 2007-09)
Anne Stephens Lloyd (Student Co-Director, 2008-09)
Ben Joseloff (Post-Doctoral Fellow at AUAF, 2008)
Max Rettig (Student Co-Director, 2009-10)
Stephanie Ahmad (Rule of Law Fellow, 2011-12)
Jason Berg

Editors
Morgan Galland (Student Director, 2010-11)
Rose Leda Ehler (Student Co-Director, 2011-12)
Daniel Lewis (Student Co-Director, 2011-12)
Ingrid Price (Student Co-Director, 2012-13)
Catherine Baylin
Elizabeth Espinosa
Jane Farrington
Gabriel Ledeen
Nicholas Reed

Faculty Director
Erik Jensen

Rule of Law Program Executive Director
Megan Karsh

Program Advisor
Rolando Garcia Miron

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF AFGHANISTAN

Contributing Faculty Editors
Ghizaal Haress
Hamid Khan
Haroon Mutasem

Chair of the Department of Law
Taylor Strickling, 2012-13
Hadley Rose, 2013-14
Mehdi Hakimi, 2014-

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE .................................................................................................................................... VI
CHAPTER 1: LEGAL HISTORY OF AFGHANISTAN AND THE RULE OF LAW ......... 1
I. INTRODUCTION AND OPENING INQUIRIES ............................................................... 1
II. AFGHANISTAN’S LEGAL HISTORY ............................................................................. 6
III. THE RULE OF LAW – AN OVERVIEW ....................................................................... 25
IV. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 36
CHAPTER 2: ACTORS AND INSTITUTIONS IN THE CURRENT CONSTITUTIONAL
SYSTEM ...................................................................................................................................... 38
I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 38
A. Integration of State and Local Judicial Systems ........................................................... 38
B. Resource Constraints .................................................................................................... 39
C. Corruption ..................................................................................................................... 40
II. THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE LEGAL STRUCTURE OF AFGHANISTAN .............. 41
A. The Constitution ............................................................................................................ 41
B. Statutory Law ................................................................................................................ 42
C. The Executive Branch .................................................................................................... 44
D. The Legislative Branch ................................................................................................. 50
E. The Judicial Branch ...................................................................................................... 53
III. THE LEGAL PROFESSION ............................................................................................ 57
IV. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 61
CHAPTER 3: CIVIL PROCEDURE ........................................................................................ 63
I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 63
II. BACKGROUND: CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE ....................................................... 65
III. FIRST STEPS IN A LAWSUIT ....................................................................................... 67
A. Initiating a Claim: Articles 12-17 ................................................................................. 67
B. Grounds for Dismissal ................................................................................................... 68
C. Recusal of Judges: Articles 65-78 ................................................................................. 72
IV. NOTICE, SUMMONS, AND APPEARANCE ................................................................ 74
A. Plaintiff Must Appear and Pursue Claim in Court ........................................................ 74
B. Notice to the Defendant ................................................................................................. 75
C. Failure to Appear: Articles 130-150 ............................................................................. 76
V. CONFLICTS OF LAWS: 1977 CIVIL CODE ARTICLES 23-35 ................................... 77
VI. TRIAL PROCEEDINGS: ARTICLES 204-245 ............................................................... 79
A. Judicial Proceedings (Pleadings) .................................................................................. 79
B. Judicial Discussions (Oral Argument) .......................................................................... 80
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C. Evidence ........................................................................................................................ 81
D. Witness Testimony ......................................................................................................... 82
E. Expert Testimony ........................................................................................................... 83
F. Burden of Proof ............................................................................................................. 83
G. Duration of Trials ......................................................................................................... 84
VII. SETTLEMENT AND JUDGMENT ................................................................................. 84
A. Settlement: Articles 230-232 ......................................................................................... 85
B. Judgment: Articles 246-266 .......................................................................................... 85
VIII. APPEAL ........................................................................................................................... 86
A. Grounds for Appeal ....................................................................................................... 86
B. Filing an Appeal ............................................................................................................ 87
C. Considering and Resolving an Appeal .......................................................................... 89
D. Standard of Review ....................................................................................................... 89
E. Appeal to the Supreme Court ........................................................................................ 90
IX. DECORUM AND JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION: ARTICLES 56-64 ....................... 90
A. Courtroom Decorum ..................................................................................................... 91
B. Judicial Administration and Judicial Qualifications .................................................... 91
X. CIVIL PROCEDURE IN PRACTICE .............................................................................. 92
A. Property Claims: Administrative and Judicial Procedures .......................................... 92
B. Family Law: Articles 101-120 ....................................................................................... 93
XI. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 94
CHAPTER 4: PROPERTY LAW ............................................................................................. 97
I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 97
II. PROPERTY OWNERSHIP AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ................................ 99
A. Security ........................................................................................................................ 100
B. Market Access and Credit ........................................................................................... 101
C. Increased Ownership ................................................................................................... 104
D. Formalization Attempts and Failures ......................................................................... 107
E. Credit Challenges ........................................................................................................ 110
III. AFGHAN PROPERTY LAW ........................................................................................ 112
A. The Scope of Property Rights under the Constitution of Afghanistan ......................... 112
B. Dispute Resolution ...................................................................................................... 114
C. Registration ................................................................................................................. 115
D. Transfer of Property .................................................................................................... 119
E. Use ............................................................................................................................... 122
F. Exclusion ..................................................................................................................... 132
IV. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 135
CHAPTER 5: COMMERCIAL LAW .................................................................................... 137
I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 137
II. CONTRACT LAW .......................................................................................................... 140
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A. Central Concepts of Contract Law .............................................................................. 141
B. Contract Formation ..................................................................................................... 142
C. Incomplete Contracts and Default Rules .................................................................... 143
D. Assignment and Delegation ........................................................................................ 144
E. Remedies for Breach of Contract ................................................................................ 144
F. Realities of Contract Law in Afghanistan Today ........................................................ 145
G. Sources of Contract Law in Afghanistan .................................................................... 147
III. BUSINESS ORGANIZATION ...................................................................................... 154
A. The Corporate Person ................................................................................................. 155
B. Limited Liability .......................................................................................................... 156
C. The Law on Private Investment in Afghanistan .......................................................... 157
D. Issues Related to the Operation of Business Entities in Afghanistan ......................... 158
E. Role of the Afghan Investment Support Agency .......................................................... 159
IV. AGENCY THEORY ....................................................................................................... 160
V. BANKING AND CREDIT ............................................................................................. 162
A. Banking Laws of Afghanistan ...................................................................................... 163
B. Other Laws Governing Loans, Interest, and Bankruptcy ............................................ 165
VI. COMMERCIAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE COMMERCIAL COURTS OF
AFGHANISTAN .................................................................................................................... 166
A. Issues Related to Transformation of the Commercial Courts ..................................... 167
VII. TAXATION AND CUSTOMS REGULATION ............................................................ 168
A. The Goals of Taxation .................................................................................................... 168
B. Individual and Corporate Taxation ............................................................................. 169
C. Domestic Tax Administration and Collection ............................................................. 170
D. Customs Laws and Regulations .................................................................................. 170
VIII. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 171
CHAPTER 6: CRIMINAL LAW ............................................................................................ 174
I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 174
II. HISTORY OF CRIMINAL LAW IN AFGHANISTAN ................................................ 175
III. CRIMINAL LAW BASICS ............................................................................................ 176
A. Foundational Principles .............................................................................................. 176
B. Principles of Liability .................................................................................................. 178
C. Defenses: Justification and Excuse ............................................................................. 186
D. Classifying Crimes ...................................................................................................... 191
IV. PUNISHMENT AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE ........................................................ 193
A. Forms of Punishment ................................................................................................... 193
B. Theories of Punishment ............................................................................................... 194
C. Restorative Justice ....................................................................................................... 198
V. CRIMINAL PROCEDURE ............................................................................................ 201
A. The State of Criminal Procedure Law ......................................................................... 201
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VI. CRIMINAL LAW STATUTES ...................................................................................... 206
VII. CHALLENGES FACING THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ............................... 209
A. Integration of State and Local Judicial Systems ......................................................... 209
B. Resource Constraints .................................................................................................. 210
VIII. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 211
CHAPTER 7: LEGAL RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN ......................................................... 214
I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 214
II. THE TRADITION OF RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN .................................................. 215
A. A Definition of Rights .................................................................................................... 215
B. Fundamental Rights under Islam .................................................................................. 216
C. History of Constitutional Rights in Afghanistan ......................................................... 218
III. ANALYZING LEGAL RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN ................................................. 219
A. Why Legal Rights Matter ............................................................................................. 220
B. Responsibilities & Duties ............................................................................................ 220
C. Legal Rights and Remedies ......................................................................................... 221
D. Remedies for Violations of Legal Rights ..................................................................... 221
E. Limitations on Legal Rights ........................................................................................ 223
F. Categories of Legal Rights: A Hierarchy of Rights? ................................................... 223
G. Group-Oriented Rights ............................................................................................... 224
H. Dissecting Rights ......................................................................................................... 225
IV. RIGHTS UNDER THE 2004 CONSTITUTION ........................................................... 226
A. Basic Provisions .......................................................................................................... 226
B. Civil and Political Rights ............................................................................................ 227
C. Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights ....................................................................... 240
D. International Human Rights ........................................................................................ 247
E. Duties of Afghan Citizens ............................................................................................ 251
V. RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT IN AFGHANISTAN ......................................................... 252
VI. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 257
CHAPTER ANNEX: GROUPS EXERCISES & HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS .......... 258
VII. DRAFTING EXERCISES .............................................................................................. 266
GLOSSARY OF SELECTED TERMS .................................................................................. 269

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PREFACE

To state the obvious, Afghanistan is currently undergoing a critical transition period. The
Afghan people now face the immense task of rebuilding a society and a country. This challenge,
while daunting, is also an opportunity for the youth of Afghanistan to effect momentous and
positive change as the future leaders of their country. To seize this opportunity, however,
Afghanistan’s human resources must be revitalized and replenished urgently. The decades-long
conflict in Afghanistan has devastated the country’s infrastructure and severely stunted the
institutions that are central to educating and cultivating leaders. Consequently, the country faces
a dire shortage of qualified lawyers. This shortage is felt ever more keenly during this time of
transition, as the participation of skilled legal practitioners is crucial to rebuilding the Afghan
republic.

In response to this need, Stanford Law School's Afghanistan Legal Education Project
(ALEP) began in the fall of 2007 as a student-initiated program dedicated to helping Afghan
universities train the next generation of Afghan lawyers. ALEP’s mandate and goals are to
research, write, and publish high-quality, original legal textbooks, and to build out an equally
high-quality law curriculum at the American University of Afghanistan. ALEP’s broader vision
is to help train the next generation of leaders who will drive Afghanistan’s reconstruction and
recovery.

On August 20, 2008, the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) in Kabul
inaugurated the first-ever class of its new legal curriculum: Introduction to the Law of
Afghanistan (Legal Studies 200). Designed by the ALEP team, this foundational course offers
students a comprehensive overview of the current laws of Afghanistan and the legal system
established by the 2004 Constitution. Taught by a well-qualified Afghan law professor,
Mohammed Haroon Mutasem, the course relies upon two primary texts: the introductory
textbook and a supplement containing various Afghan legal documents.

Professor Mutasem and the more than fifty students who enrolled in the course in 2008-
09 provided constructive feedback that led to the creation of the second edition, including a new
chapter on civil procedure.

The ALEP team would like to extend acknowledge those individuals and institutions who
have made this project possible. ALEP’s faculty advisors are Erik Jensen (Co-Director of
Stanford Law School’s Rule of Law Program) and Stanford Law School Dean Larry Kramer.
ALEP has obtained generous support from public and private sources, including a three-year
grant from INL at the U.S. Department of State. The ALEP team would also like to
acknowledge the support of Deborah Zumwalt, General Counsel of Stanford University and
member of American University of Afghanistan’s (AUAF) Board of Trustees. ALEP is also
delighted to continue its partnership with AUAF and is particularly grateful for the support of
AUAF’s President, Dr. Michael Smith and Dr. Bahar Jalali, Department Chair of Political
Science, Humanities and Law.

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