RASC News Agency: Josep Borrell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, has declared that the Taliban’s new “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law constitutes a severe blow to the rights of Afghanistani women and girls an affront the European Union cannot abide. In a statement released yesterday Tuesday, August 26, Borrell expressed the EU’s profound shock and grave concern over the enactment of this draconian law.
Borrell emphasized that this legislation significantly expands the powers of the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, transforming it from a consultative body into an authoritative force with explicit mandates for law enforcement. He further argued that this law, along with other restrictions imposed by the Taliban, flagrantly violates Afghanistan’s international obligations and undermines the Afghanistani people’s fundamental rights to due process and justice.
He added that the European Union demands the Taliban cease their systematic persecution of Afghanistani women and girls, warning that these abuses could escalate into acts of sexual violence, which under the Rome Statute—to which Afghanistan is a signatory—constitute crimes against humanity.
The High Representative also noted that this law poses yet another formidable barrier to the normalization of relations and the potential international recognition of the Taliban—an objective the Taliban have openly pursued. He reiterated that, as outlined in the “Independent Assessment of Afghanistan,” and affirmed by the United Nations Security Council, any prospect of recognizing the Taliban hinges on their adherence to their commitments towards Afghanistani citizens and full compliance with Afghanistan’s international obligations.
Borrell concluded by asserting, “The European Union will continue to stand resolutely with the women and girls of Afghanistan and all those threatened by the Taliban.” The newly enacted law, signed by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, imposes sweeping and oppressive restrictions on Afghanistani citizens, particularly targeting women.
Under this law, traditional celebrations such as Nowruz and Yalda Night, the use of fireworks, trimming or shaving beards, wearing neckties, and haircuts deemed un-Islamic by the Taliban are prohibited. Furthermore, the law mandates that women’s voices should not be heard in public spaces where men are present, and it bans the viewing of images or videos depicting living beings on computers and mobile phones. The enforcement of this law has sparked widespread condemnation both domestically and internationally, with many nations condemning it as the Taliban’s latest effort to stifle and subdue the Afghanistani populace.
