SW News: The United States has imposed visa restrictions on members of the Taliban and their supporters who were responsible for the repression of women and girls in Afghanistan. This was announced by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement on Tuesday.
Blinken announced the visa restriction policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to curb the issuance of visas for Taliban members, and other individuals believed to be responsible for or complicit in, repressing girls and women in Afghanistan through repressive policies and brutal ways. This includes restricting access to secondary or higher education for girls and women and blocking women from taking up jobs and restricting their movement. Those who indulge in or abet violence and harassment of women also face the US curbs alog with their immediate family members.
After returning to power in August 2021 with the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban introduced a host of strict measures controlling women’s lives, based on the strict interpretation of Islamic law.
“Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls are systemically barred from attending school beyond the sixth grade, with no return date in sight,” Blinken said. They have also blocked girls from returning to secondary schools and barred women from many government jobs.
Blinken called on other governments to take similar actions and to underscore a collective message that only a government in Afghanistan that represents all its people and protects the human rights of every individual could be considered legitimate. He stressed that the United States strongly supports the Afghan people and remains committed to doing all it can to protect and promote the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Afghans, including women and girls.
The Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the policy is an “obstacle" to the development of ties between the two countries.