UN Official Condemns Afghan Law Erasing Women from Public Life

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has strongly criticized a new Afghan law, calling for its immediate repeal. He described the law, known as the ‘Commandment of Right and Prohibition of Wrong,’ as a severe violation of women’s human rights, effectively erasing their presence from public life. The law imposes strict dress codes, restricts women’s movement, and prohibits their voices from being heard in public spaces. The UN spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani, highlighted the law’s numerous oppressive provisions, including mandatory head-to-toe veiling, restrictions on transportation for women without male escorts, and suppression of women’s voices in public. The law grants wide-ranging powers to officials for detention and punishment, raises concerns about freedom of religion, and further tightens control over media by banning the publication of human images. Türk emphasized that the law constitutes a clear breach of Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations, and urged the Taliban authorities to reverse its implementation. He warned that silencing and rendering half of Afghanistan’s population invisible will only exacerbate the country’s human rights and humanitarian crises.