KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The European Union (EU) has condemned the Taliban’s new morality law as “another serious blow” to women’s rights and has urged the regime to end the systematic abuses against Afghan women and girls.
In a press release on Monday, August 26, the Council of the EU stated that the Taliban’s latest so-called vice and virtue law further undermines the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, which the EU cannot tolerate.
The EU further stated that the Taliban’s abuses against women may constitute gender persecution, which is considered a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to which Afghanistan is a State Party.
The Taliban announced the new vice and virtue laws last week, mandating that women should not speak in public places and wear clothing that completely covers their bodies and faces to avoid temptation and tempting others. Clothing, the group said, should not be thin, tight or short.
The laws also require that drivers do not transport women without a male companion present.
For men, the Taliban’s new law prohibits wearing ties and shorts, shaving, trimming beards to less than a fist length, and having certain hairstyles deemed “un-Islamic.”
The law outlines a range of punishments for non-compliance, including verbal warnings, threats, fines, and arrests lasting from one hour to three days, as well as other penalties requested by the morality police. Repeat offenses will result in referral to the courts.
The EU says that the Taliban’s new law creates another self-imposed obstacle to normalized relations and international recognition, which the Taliban publicly seek.
It also reaffirmed its commitment to support women, girls, and all those threatened by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s new law has faced significant criticism from the UN, various countries, rights groups, and activists, who see it as another attempt by the Taliban to oppress the population, particularly women and girls.
In a recent reaction, Amnesty International described the law as a “brazen attack” on human rights and a “flagrant violation” of Afghanistan’s international legal obligations, calling for its immediate revocation.
In a statement on X today, the international rights group said that the Taliban’s severe restrictions on the rights of women and girls could amount to gender persecution, a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute.
