Afghan Citizens Protest in France Against New Taliban Law and Suppression of Women

In the resolution of this protest, held on Saturday (14 September) in Paris, it was stated that since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, the country has fallen into a regime of “terror,” and the rights of Afghan women have been completely eradicated.

The resolution added: “Over the past three years, the Taliban have issued at least 52 decrees to create a regime that isolates and suppresses women. Although initially, many countries mobilized to support women and provide asylum to them; today, the silence and inaction of those same countries leave women at the mercy of their torturers.”

The participants of the protest referred to the Taliban’s new “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law, which labels women’s voices and even their faces as “awrah” (parts of the body that must be covered), and stated that this law has made the gender apartheid regime in Afghanistan clearer. Article 13 of this law explicitly mentions covering the entire body, face, and voice of women as religious obligations, with penalties such as imprisonment and fines for violators.

The resolution further accused the international community of remaining silent in the face of these repressions and called for immediate action to support Afghan women. It also urged the French government to expedite the evacuation and acceptance of Afghan women forced into exile by the Taliban and to impose “targeted sanctions” against Taliban leaders.

Finally, the resolution called for public campaigns to support Afghan women and protest against the Taliban regime, reminding governments that women’s rights must be a non-negotiable precondition for any international legitimacy of the Taliban.