The Journal of Afghan Legal Studies (JALS) is the only peer-reviewed, ISSN-registered journal dedicated to Afghan law. It focuses on state, Islamic, customary, and international law, and other legal norms relevant to Afghanistan and its people. Since 2025, JALS has been hosted online by the University and State Library Saxony-Anhalt. All articles are freely accessible online (here).
Originally published under the title Yearbook of Afghan Legal Studies (YALS; one volume in 2015), JALS has, since 2016, published scholarly articles in three languages: Dari, Pashto, and English. The founding editors were Mohammad Hashim Kamali, Tilmann J. Röder, and Lutforahman Saeed. In addition to them, the current Board of Editors includes Suhailah Akbari, Sari Kouvo, Wali M. Naseh, Idris Nassery (Chief Editor), and Shamshad Pasarlay.
Until the change of government in 2021, the journal was published in Kabul, with copies widely distributed to law libraries across Afghanistan. Since then, only a limited number of printed copies could be brought out of the country. ILSAF has donated these copies to international libraries to ensure the long-term preservation of the research produced by numerous scholars.
Below you will find a complete list of all JALS articles, with direct links to their respective online publications.
The ISSN no. is 2522-3070.
The journal name has three official titles:
د افغانستان د حقوقي مطالعاتو مجلې (Pashto)
مجلۀ مطالعات حقوقی افغانستان (Dari)
Journal of Afghan Legal Studies (انگلیسی)
The official acronym of the English title is JALS (no acronym in Dari/Pashto). Articles are published in Dari, Pashto or English with abstracts in the respective other languages.
Interested authors are cordially invited to contact the editors at jals@ilsaf.org.
Online access to all articles: JALS 4
Articles in Dari:
Ali Mohammad Mirzai, The Single Member Company, (pp. 15-30)
Abdulrahman Salim, A View of Insurance from the Perspective of Islamic Jurisprudence, (pp. 30-42)
Zalmay Malyar and Noor Al-Nisa Rohani, Assessing Afghan Citizens’ Access to Information under the Access to Information Law, (pp. 43-65)
Articles in English:
Ahmadullah Azadani, Zahra Tawana, and Faisal Khan, Unrepresentative Parties in An Unwelcoming Society: Examining Public Perceptions about Afghan Political Parties, (pp. 83-97)
Abdullah Athayi, The Afghan Citizenship Law, (pp. 98-118)
Mohammad Tahir Nasiri, A Prime Minister for Afghanistan? Historical Precedents, Constitutional Design, and Policy Implications, (pp. 119-137)
Tilmann J. Röder, The Draft Constitution of the Taliban of 1998: Analysis and Translation (pp. 138-167)
Fazl Ahmad Ahmadi, Acceptance and Implementation of International Treaties in the Afghan Legal System, (pp. 16-39)
Abdul Aziz Danish, The Relationship between Sustainable Peace and Transitional Justice, (pp. 40-66)
Mohammed Djalali and Ahmad Haneef “Haneef”, Modern Civil Society and Its Legal Status in Afghanistan, (pp. 68-88)
Articles in English:
Ghizaal Haress, Judicial Review in Afghanistan: A Flawed Practice, (pp. 89-147)
Ali Wardak, A Decade and a Half of Rebuilding Afghanistan’s Justice System, (pp. 148-162)
Geoffrey Swenson, Why U.S. Efforts to Promote the Rule of Law in Afghanistan Failed, (pp. 163-200)
Huma Saeed and Stephan Parmentier, When Rabbits are in Charge of Carrots: Land Grabbing, Transitional Justice and Economic-State Crime in Afghanistan, (pp. 201-226)
Wolf Plesmann and Tilmann J. Röder, Coordination of International Assistance to Justice Reforms in Afghanistan, (pp. 227-238)
English section:
Nafay Choudhury, “Lessons on Global Legal Transfers from Afghan Taxi Drivers”, (pp. 28-49)
Noah Coburn, “The Uses of Legal Ambiguity: How Contractors Control Workers in Afghanistan” (pp. 52-70)
Erica Gaston, “Legal Pluralism for Militias? Accountability Regimes for Sub-state Forces in Afghanistan” (pp. 72-97)
Malthe Hilal-Harvald, “Enforcing Article 3 of the Afghan Constitution: Lessons from the Pakistani Experience” (pp. 100-127)
Mohammad Hashim Kamali, “Countering Global Terrorism and its Manifestations in Afghanistan: Advancing New Shariah Perspectives” (pp. 130-166)
Tilmann Röder, „Complementarity and Conflict, State, Islamic, and Customary Justice in Afghanistan“ (pp. 168-197)
Mohammad Bashir Mobasher, “Constitutional Choices, Ethnic Accommodations, and the Consolidation of Coalitions: A Critique of the Merits of Article 61 for Electing the President of Afghanistan” (pp. 200-221)
Mohammad Rassekh, “Non-violation of Islamic Law under the Afghan Constitution” (pp. 224-241)
Warda Yasin, “Corporate Manslaughter and Islamic Law in Afghanistan and Pakistan” (pp. 245-264)
Dari/Pashto section:
Ahmad Haneef Haneef, “The Implementation of Substantive International Human Rights Obligations in Afghanistan: Examples
from the ICCPR”, Dari (pp. 124-164)
Ahmad Reza Sadeqi, Adil Sarikhani, The Regional Criminal Law Framework for the Combat of Organized Crime”, Pashto (pp. 93-111)
Javad Taghizadeh Doughikola and Kiumars Firuz Jahantighi, “The Acting President in the Constitution of Afghanistan”, Dari (pp. 272-
291)
Mohammad Ali Mirzai, “The Apparent Theory in Afghan Civil Law”, Dari (pp. 186-216)
Eid Mohammad Ahmadi, “The Need for Alternatives to Imprisonment and Criminal Law Mechanisms in Afghanistan”, Dari
(pp. 52-66)
Gholam Hassan Gran, “Constitutional Framework of the Armed Forces of Afghanistan”, Dari (pp. 106-121)
Lutforahman Saeed, “Membership of Women in Afghanistan’s Supreme Court According to the Afghan Constitution and Hanafi
Jurisprudence”, Dari (pp. 264-269)
Mohammad Amin Ahmadi, “The Position of the Traditional Loya Jirga in the Constitution of Afghanistan”, Dari (pp. 68-79)
Mohammad Qasim Hashimzai, “The Separation of Powers and the Problem of Constitutional Interpretation”, Dari (pp. 294-332)
Mohammad Hashim Kamali, “Divorce and Women’s Rights: Should Women have Equal Rights?”, Pashto (pp. 166-184)
Nezamuddin Abdullah, “Civil Responsibility of the State in the Afghan Legal System”, Dari (pp. 334-394)
Mohammad Hashim Kamali, “Constitutionalism in Islamic Countries: A Contemporary Perspective of Islamic Law”, Dari (pp. 67-90)
Mohammad Ayub Yusufzai, “Legal Framework of Electoral Management in Afghanistan after 1380 (2001)”, Dari (pp. 91-127)
Rainer Grote and Tilmann J. Röder, “Delays of Elections and the Constitutional Legitimacy of the Wolesi Jirga”, English (pp. 128-140)
Ali Mohammad Mirzai, “State Responsibility to Cover Damages after Terrorism” (pp. 143-174), Dari (pp. 143-173)
John Braithwaite and Ali Wardak, “Crime and War in Afghanistan”, Pashto (pp. 175-241)
Najib Amin, “Imprisonment and the Pertinent Laws in Afghanistan: A Focus on the History of Policharkhi Prison”, Dari (pp. 243-282)
Julia Geneuss, “Criminal Responsibility for the 2009 Kunduz Airstrike: The German Code of Crimes against International Law and
International (Humanitarian) Law”, English, pp. 283-294)
Ehsan Qaane, “Thirteen Years after Afghanistan’s Accession to the International Criminal Court: What Stage at the Court has
Afghanistan Reached?”, Dari (pp. 295-304)
Mohammad Hashim Kamali, Matrimony and Women’s Rights in the Afghan Civil Code of 1976: A Critical Appraisal, English (pp. 307-342)
Suhailah Akbari, “Chabahar vs. APTTA – Which Transit Trade Agreement Offers Broader Legal Transit Trade Opportunities for
Afghanistan?”, Dari (pp. 345-367)
Mohammad Malek Sitez, “The Commitment of the Afghan State to International Human Rights”, English (pp. 368-392)
Anver Emon, “Natural Law and Natural Rights in Islamic Law”, Dari (pp. 395-442)
Mohammad Hashim Kamali, “Fundamental Rights of the Individual: An Analysis of Haq in Islamic Law”, Dari (pp. 443-472)
Tom Ginsburg, “An Economic Analysis of Pashtunwali”, Dari (pp. 473-503)
Ebrahim Afsah, “Afghan Opium, the Global Consensus and Regional Collaboration”, English (pp. 507-554)
Hamid M. Khan, “Classical Approaches and Contemporary Challenges Evaluating Islamic Conceptions of the Rule of Law”, English (pp. 556-580)
The ISSN of YALS was 2410-1796.
The official transliteration of the Dari title was Sâlnâmah Moṭâlʿât Ḥoqvqy Afġânestân.
All articles were in Dari with abstracts in English. Only one volume was published.
Editors were Tilmann J. Röder and Sayed H. Zia
Online access to all articles: YALS 1
Articles in Dari:
Asifa Quraishi Landes, Legal Pluralism in Islamic State: Reflections on the Afghan Constitution (Dari) (pp. 57–86)
Mohammad Qasim Hashimzai, The Separation of Powers and the Problem of Constitutional Interpretation in Afghanistan pp. 87–114)
Mohammad Hashim Kamali, The Relationship Between Executive and Parliament and the Problem of Constitutional Interpretation and Adjudication During the Karzai Years (pp. 115–154)
Javad Taghizadeh, The Presidential Election in the Afghan Constitution (pp. 155–191)
Michael Hartmann, Agnieszka Klonowiecka-Milert, Criminal Law Reform in Afghanistan: Legal Transplants without Consensus-Based Adaptation (pp. 195–236)
Hussein Gholami, Victim Rights in the New Afghan Criminal Procedure Code (Art. 6) (pp. 237–270)
Mohammad Hashim Kamali, Divorce and Women’s Rights: Some Muslim Interpretation on 2:226 (pp. 273–296)
Muhammad Yusuf Saleem, Afghan Laws on Islamic Finance: Lessons from Malaysia (pp. 297–329)
Mohsen Abdollahi Foroogh Heydari, Afghan Children’s Right to Education in Iran in Light of International Law (pp. 333–363)
Mansour Jafarian, The Legal Framework Governing the Helmand River: An International Law Perspective (pp. 365–408)
Humayoun Rahimi, The Current Status of Afghanistan’s Accession to the World Trade Organization (pp. 409–427)
Muhammad Munir, The Layha for the Mujahideen: An Analysis of the Code of Conduct for the Taliban Fighters under Islamic Law (pp. 429–461)
Noah Coburn, Hybrid Forms of Dispute Resolution and Access to Justice in Afghanistan: Conceptual Challenges, Opportunities and Concerns (pp. 465–489)
Friederike Stahlmann, The Power of Experience: Civil-War Effects on Seeking Justice through Disputing (pp. 491–533)
Tilmann Röder, Civil-Military Cooperation in Building the Rule of Law (pp. 537–589)
Articles in English:
Ramin Moschtaghi, Constitutionalism in an Islamic Republic: The Principles of the Afghan Constitution and the Conflicts between Them (pp. 9–55)
