US slaps sanctions on Taliban – Details
The U.S. has imposed new sanctions against the Taliban over repressive decisions against women in Afghanistan.
America announced new visa restrictions on Taliban members in response to a ban on women’s employment and education in Afghanistan.
“Today, measures are being taken to impose additional visa restrictions on certain current or former Taliban members, members of nongovernmental security groups, and other individuals who are held responsible for or complicit in the oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement reported by Agence France-Presse.
“So far, the Taliban’s actions have forced more than a million school-age Afghan girls and young women out of the classroom, with more women leaving university and countless Afghan women out of the workforce, and these numbers will only increase over time,” the secretary said, adding that “the country’s severe economic and humanitarian crises are only worsening.”
Equality in access to education and employment is “an essential component of the vitality and resilience of the entire people,” Blinken said, and these steps will harm the Taliban’s standing globally.
“The Taliban cannot expect the international community to respect and support them unless they respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Afghans, including women and girls,” he said, renewing a commitment to work alongside allies to impose “significant costs” on the Taliban’s actions.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on Afghan women, banning them from government jobs, and prohibiting them from attending secondary schools, universities, or even public parks.
The Taliban has also banned Afghan women from working with NGOs since December; Many organizations have suspended their activities.
