CNN cites Sharia law in legal motion for defamation suit over Afghanistan withdrawal reporting

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CNN argued a security consulting company was, in fact, breaking Sharia law while evacuating people out of Afghanistan in a lawsuit regarding its reporting on the 2021 withdrawal.

In June, Florida judges ruled Zachary Young and his company Nemex Enterprises Inc. offered enough evidence to move forward in a defamation suit against CNN. Young alleged that the network smeared his security consulting company by implying it illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan, using the terms "black market," "exploit" and "exorbitant" to paint him as a bad actor preying upon desperate people.

In a motion for summary judgment filed by CNN Thursday, CNN’s lead counsel Deanna K. Shullman said, "This entire defamation case centers on Young’s accusation that CNN implied he engaged in illegal conduct when he arranged, for a substantial fee, to have women smuggled out of Afghanistan."

Shullman noted, in the filing obtained by Newsbusters, Young's actions were technically illegal because the Taliban had implemented Sharia law in Afghanistan at the time.

"[D]iscovery has indicated that those activities he orchestrated and funded, which involved moving women out of Afghanistan, almost certainly were illegal under Taliban rule," she said.

CNN FACES DEFAMATION SUIT OVER AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL STORY: 'EVIDENCE OF ACTUAL MALICE'

However, the summary insisted CNN’s