The Taliban in Kabul has violently dispersed a group of women protesters who rallied against the group’s countrywide ban on beauty salons.
Videos on social media show apparently women rallying in Kabul’s Shahr-e-Naw area on Wednesday to protest the Taliban’s latest ban. They are dispersed by the group’s forces with gun shots into the air and water sprays.
The Taliban’s recent actions to suppress women’s rights demonstrations are seen as an alarming escalation and a violation of peaceful protest and free speech in Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhunzada, imposed a ban on all women’s beauty salons across Afghanistan, adding to the string of over 50 repressive edicts against women and girls.
Beauty salons were ordered to be closed down by 24 July, triggering widespread condemnation and outrage.
Human rights reports have warned that the draconian Taliban rules and systematic gender discrimination against women and girls could account for crimes against humanity.
