EU condemns new Taliban law restricting women's rights

The European Union is shocked by the recently adopted law in Afghanistan on the "Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice". 

This was stated in a declaration issued on behalf of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

"This latest decision is yet another serious blow undermining the rights of Afghan women and girls, which we cannot accept. We call on the Taliban to end these systematic and systemic abuses against Afghan women and girls, which may amount to gender persecution, a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to which Afghanistan is a state party," Borrell noted.

According to the EU, the law "confirms and expands the strict restrictions on the lives of Afghans imposed by the Taliban, including enforced dress codes, particularly requiring women to cover their bodies and faces in public places," and also "establishes that women's voices should not be heard in public spaces, effectively depriving Afghan women of their fundamental right to freedom of expression."

The statement emphasizes that this decision by the Afghan authorities "further expands the powers of the so-called Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice beyond an advisory role, as it now has a clear mandate" to enforce the law.

At the end of last week, it was reported that the Taliban ratified several laws related to the observance of norms of decency in accordance with the Islamic tradition adopted in the country. In particular, legislation was enacted to require the wearing of a hijab that covers a woman's face. These regulations also condemn the public sounding of a woman's voice as a violation of modesty.