Afghanistan New "virtue law": EU sends clear message to Taliban

Germany and the other 26 EU member states are demanding that the Taliban ruling Afghanistan withdraw new restrictions on women. They are appalled by the so-called law on the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice, according to a statement published by EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell. It represents a further obstacle to the normalization of relations and the recognition of the Taliban by the international community.

The militant Islamist Taliban had previously ordered by decree that women must cover their bodies and faces in the presence of foreign men. According to the EU, it was also stipulated, among other things, that women's voices must not be heard in public.

This effectively deprives women of their fundamental right to freedom of expression, according to the Brussels statement. The decree is a further serious blow to the rights of Afghan women and girls that cannot be tolerated.

The Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 shortly after the end of an almost two-decade-long NATO mission in the country. The aim of the alliance had actually been to prevent the Taliban from taking power again. The Taliban had previously harbored international terrorism. The attacks that hit the USA on September 11, 2001 were prepared in Afghanistan.

When they took power again in August 2021, the Taliban initially held out the prospect of a more moderate form of government. However, their government is extremely authoritarian. Internationally, they are criticized above all for their massive curtailment of women's rights. For example, girls' schools from the seventh grade onwards were closed some time ago.

SDA