Women's Education Questions Off-Limits, Says Taliban Minister

UNAMA has called on the Taliban to clarify certain provisions of this law.

In a statement issued on Saturday, UNAMA said, "The international community has been seeking, in good faith, to constructively engage with the de facto authorities. The world wants to see Afghanistan on the path of peace and prosperity, where all Afghans have a stake in their future, are citizens with rights and not just subjects to be disciplined. Further restricting the rights of the Afghan people and holding them in constant fear will make achieving this goal even harder,”

UNAMA's statement highlighted that the article 35 of "Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" law, recently ratified by the Taliban leader, imposes extensive restrictions on personal conduct while granting broad enforcement powers to the morality police.

Rosa Otunbayeva, UN special envoy in Kabul, remarked, "It is a distressing vision for Afghanistan’s future, where moral inspectors have discretionary powers to threaten and detain anyone based on broad and sometimes vague lists of infractions."

Otunbayeva noted that the law intensifies previous restrictions and even considers women's voices outside the home as a moral offence.

The UNAMA statement also pointed out that the new law, by completely ignoring the diversity of Afghanistan's religious community, has concerning implications for religious freedoms in the country, and these restrictions also affect the work of journalists and the media.

UNAMA emphasised that Afghans should not be punished simply for being late to prayer, looking at a woman who is not a family member, or carrying photos of their loved ones.

The statement also mentioned that UNAMA is currently assessing the law's impact on the Afghan people and international humanitarian aid to the country.

This marks a 33% increase compared to the same period last year.

According to a report from the IRIB News Agency, Latifi projected that Iran's exports to Afghanistan could surpass $2 billion by the end of 2024.

Although the Islamic Republic of Iran, like many other countries, does not officially recognise the Taliban, it continues to maintain extensive diplomatic and economic relations with the group.

In a statement posted on social platform X on Saturday, 24th August, Lahbib stressed the need to amplify the voices of women in Afghanistan.

She also reiterated Belgium's commitment to supporting civil society and those advocating for their rights.

Last month, Minister Lahbib highlighted on the same platform that the Taliban's return to power had led to a significant regression in human rights, with a particular impact on women's rights.

On Wednesday, 21st August, the Taliban announced that their leader had ratified the 'Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice' law.

The law imposes stringent restrictions on women, including mandatory full-body covering, and declares that "a woman's voice is a form of indecency."

This legislation has sparked widespread condemnation from human rights activists and the international community.

The Bakhtar News Agency, now under Taliban control, reported on Sunday that Haqqani held a meeting with several media executives.

According to the report, the Taliban's Ministry of Information and Culture convened this meeting to coordinate efforts with journalists and media representatives.
Images released from the meeting show no women in attendance.

Concerns over media restrictions have intensified following the implementation of the Taliban's "Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" law.

Exiled Afghan journalists have highlighted that the Taliban's "Propagation of Virtue" law, particularly the section on "The Information and Press," mandates that the Taliban morality police to ensure media outlets "adhere to virtues." This law restricts the definition of "virtues" to publishing content that excludes images of living beings.

Exiled Afghan journalists argue that the Taliban, through the enactment of the "Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" law, have imposed unprecedented restrictions on freedom of expression in Afghanistan.

These restrictions have reportedly been implemented on the orders of the Taliban's Ministry of Education.

According to information provided by sources in Khost province, officials from the Taliban's Education Department in Khost informed media managers that this decision was made based on an official letter from the Ministry of Education.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, education for girls above grade six has been suspended. However, local media in various provinces, including Khost, have been broadcasting online education programmes that have gained popularity among the public.

Local sources report that during a meeting held last Thursday, attended by officials from the Taliban's Department of Information and Culture in Khost, media managers were instructed to stop broadcasting educational courses for grades above six on the radio.

A media representative in Khost told Afghanistan International that this decision likely originated from Kabul, and they are unable to oppose the order. He added that this move not only extinguishes the last hope for girls' education, but also eliminates a significant source of income for media outlets.

The head of a local radio station in Khost explained to Afghanistan International that with these restrictions, local media, which have already lost income from advertising, have turned to offering online courses and selling educational books, which have become an important source of revenue.

Previously, the Taliban's police command in Khost had issued an official letter banning women and girls from contacting media outlets by phone. Currently, in Khost, there are 15 radio stations and three private television channels operating in addition to the national radio and television.