RASC News Agency: Thomas Nicholson, the European Union’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, has denounced the Taliban’s “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law, calling it “a severe and unprecedented manifestation of gender-based discrimination.” He characterized the decree as deeply troubling and a stark testament to the systematic gender oppression entrenched in Afghanistan. This law has already faced widespread condemnation from the European Union, Canada, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and several regional states.
During a virtual event commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Nicholson stressed that in over three years of rule, the Taliban have issued more than 100 decrees aimed at systematically curbing human rights, particularly targeting women. Nicholson stated that the Taliban have plunged Afghanistani citizens into a repressive and suffocating reality, leaving individuals powerless to make decisions or pursue their aspirations. He noted that the new law forces women to conceal their bodies, faces, and even voices in public spaces, effectively erasing their presence from public life.
He described the Taliban’s decree as a calculated mechanism for subjugating the people of Afghanistan, with women and dissenters being its primary victims. Nicholson further explained that this law is not a “hastily made decision” but a deliberate step toward shaping a society entirely dictated by the Taliban leadership in Kandahar. Expressing profound concern, Nicholson remarked: “These measures have dramatically constrained the daily lives of women and girls, robbing them of their freedom of movement, expression, and access to basic healthcare services. Violence has become the defining feature of women’s lives under Taliban rule.”
