The Principle of ne bis in idem in Afghan Legal System, International Instruments and Hanafi Jurisprudence

The principle of “ne bis in idem” is one of the most important principles of criminal law which has been recognized in Afghan laws like most criminal justice systems around the world today. According to this principle, no one should be tried and punished for second times for the same offence. In addition to domestic laws, this rule has also been recognized in universal and regional human rights instruments and the statutes of international criminal courts. In Afghanistan’s law, legislature not only tends not to bring an accused to justice and punish him/her for a second time, but also counts the double jeopardy unfair. Double jeopardy is prohibited in the Hanfi jurisprudence as well and its theoretical bases therein are the same as secular law, and its applicability is not restricted to judgments of domestic courts. The application terms of this principle are the finality of the judgment, and the existence of the relation between the first and the second trials.