The European Union (EU) has condemned the Taliban’s newest restrictions on women’s freedom of movement, including the ban on women’s presence in public parks and gyms. It has called on the Taliban to honor Afghanistan’s obligations under international law.
“These restrictions come in addition to the already severe violations by the Taliban of the rights of Afghan women and girls – in contradiction to Taliban’s own initial promises,” EU’s spokesperson for external affairs, Peter Stano, said in a statement on November 14.
Imposing the latest restrictions against women in Kabul and other provinces, the Taliban banned women from going to parks, outdoor baths, and gyms.
Moreover, the group has effectively shut schools for girls above the 6th grade and removed women from many governmental posts since their return to power in August 2021.
Though Afghan women protesters and human rights activists have repeatedly opposed these restrictions by holding protest rallies in major cities, the Taliban have violently dispersed their rallies and arrested these protesters.
The group has imprisoned a total of four women human rights defenders along with their colleagues, including men, over the past 10 days. Still, there is no information about their whereabouts.
