The European Union said on Monday it was dismayed by a new Afghan law to “promote virtue and prevent vice” among the population. The legislation notably requires that women’s voices cannot be heard in public, depriving Afghan women of their fundamental right to freedom of expression, EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said in a statement.
The law controls every aspect of Afghan life, from clothing to social interactions, including the style and length of men’s beards, bans on homosexuality, animal fighting, music in public places, and holidays other than those in the Muslim religious calendar. Women must be fully covered and must not raise their voices in public.
“This decision is another serious attack on the rights of Afghan women and girls, which we cannot tolerate. We urge the Taliban to end these systematic and systemic abuses against Afghan women and girls, which may amount to gender-based persecution, a crime against humanity,” the EU said.
The Taliban, who regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, say they want to re-establish ties with the international community, but such moves distance them from that possibility, notes Josep Borrell.
This article is originally published on sudinfo.be
