Rina Amiri, the US Special Representative for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, has condemned the Taliban's discriminatory policies against women and girls as among the most "heinous" human rights violations globally.

Amiri expressed her views on X social media platform this Friday, emphasising the need for accountability for those suppressing Afghan women and girls.

Her statement came shortly after the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on two Taliban cabinet members for their significant roles in restricting women's rights and perpetrating widespread human rights abuses. The sanctioned individuals include Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s Minister of the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, and Fariduddin Mahmood, head of the Afghanistan Academy of Sciences.

Amiri's message reinforced the urgency of holding those responsible accountable: "We must continue to hold accountable those involved in repressing the women, and girls of Afghanistan.”

This announcement coincided with the end of the academic year in Afghanistan on 7 December. On this day, hundreds of thousands of female students completed their 6th-grade education. However, the Taliban's directive has barred these young girls from continuing their education in secondary schools.

Emotional scenes unfolded as these girls bid each other farewell, many with tears in their eyes and prayers on their lips. The sharing of farewell photos and videos of these sixth-grade girls on social media has elicited a wide array of reactions, highlighting the poignant reality of their situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban.