Meryl Streep at UN: Cats Have More Freedom Than Women in Afghanistan

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — Actress and humanitarian Meryl Streep criticized the Taliban’s treatment of Afghan women during her recent remarks at the United Nations. “A female cat has more freedom than a woman in Afghanistan,” Streep said at a side event of the U.N. General Assembly on Monday.

Streep highlighted the severe restrictions Afghan women face since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. “A cat may sit on a stoop and feel the sun or chase a squirrel into a park,” she said. “A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today because public parks are now closed to women and girls.”