Several former and current Taliban members will be subject to new visa restrictions imposed by authorities in the United States after being involved in repressing women’s and girls’ rights in Afghanistan.
Such an announcement, according to BBC, has been confirmed by the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, VisaGuide.World reports.
US authorities’ decision comes more than a month after the nationalist political movement in Afghanistan announced bans on women who attend universities and work with non-governmental organizations.
In this regard, the US State Secretary considered such decisions as contributing to the new visa bans imposed on Taliban members, while emphasizing the fact that the United States condemns these kinds of actions in the strongest of terms.
“The Taliban’s most recent edicts ban women from universities and from working with NGOs, as well as further the Taliban’s previous measures that closed secondary schools to girls and also limit the ability of women and girls to participate in the Afghan society and economy,” Blinken pointed out in this regard in a State Department statement.
Following this decision, the Taliban once again revealed their disregard for the welfare of Afghans, he noted regarding the issue.
However, the US State Department did not provide the names of those who are affected by such a decision.
Blinken considered other actions by the Taliban that have undermined women and girls’ rights since the group took control of the country after the US military withdrawal in 2021.
“So far, the Taliban’s actions have forced over one million school-aged Afghan girls and young women out of the classroom, with more women out of universities and countless Afghan women out of the workforce. These numbers will only grow as time goes on, worsening the country’s already dire economic and humanitarian crises,” Blinken pointed out in this regard.
According to Blinken, assuming equal access to education, as well as work, is an important component of the vitality as well as resiliency of the whole population, while he stressed that such steps will hurt the Taliban’s standing globally.
Blinken, also said that the Taliban cannot expect the support and respect of the international community until they respect the human as well as fundamental freedoms of Afghanistan, taking also into account women and girls.
In addition, the United States Secretary stressed that the US stands with the people of Afghanistan and continues to remain committed to doing all it can in order to promote and advance respect for human rights as well as fundamental freedoms.
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