UN Chief Antonio Guterres Speaks Out Against New Taliban Laws in Afghanistan

New York [US], September 29: United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres has expressed deep concern over the situation in Afghanistan, likening it to some of the most oppressive systems in recent history. Sharing a post on X, Guterres said, “What is happening in Afghanistan can be compared with some of the most egregious systems of oppression in recent history.”

He added, “I join all countries and organisations demanding that the de facto authorities remove all discriminatory restrictions against women and girls immediately.”

Last month, the Taliban announced a new law on the “Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice,” which came into force on August 21. Issued by Afghanistan’s Ministry for Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice, the new law orders women to cover their bodies and faces entirely and not speak or sing loud enough for non-family members to hear them.

The document of the law, published in the official gazette, imposes its interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. Women’s voices are now considered as ‘awrah’, or intimate parts, and may only be experienced in cases of necessity. The orders related to hijab are described, stating that it is essential to cover the whole body of the woman and necessary to cover the face due to the fear of temptation.

Additionally, the law states that ombudsmen are responsible for preventing drivers from playing music, using drugs, transporting women without hijab, providing a place for women to sit and mingle with men who are not mahrams, and from being wise and mature. “It is haram for unrelated men to look at the bodies or faces of unrelated women, and it is haram for unrelated women to look at unrelated men,” the law ratified by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada states.

Punishment for these “crimes” will be carried out by the Taliban’s Muhtaseebs or morality police, who have the authority to detain individuals for up to three days. The Taliban have attempted to partially defend their new laws by claiming they are intended to safeguard women. The regime has recently begun tightening down on men, with morality police visiting mosques and inspecting for those who haven’t grown beards.

Long before the Taliban came to power, Afghanistan granted women the right to vote in 1919, a year before the United States. It opened its first schools for girls in 1921.