Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Union expressed its dismay at the recent decree issued by the Taliban movement, called the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. This came in a statement issued by the office of the EU's foreign policy coordinator, Josep Borrell, who added through the statement: "The decree confirms and expands the severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban on the lives of Afghans, including the imposed dress code, in particular the order for women to cover their bodies and faces in public. The decree also imposes that women's voices cannot be heard in public, effectively depriving Afghan women of their basic right to freedom of expression. The decree also expands the authority of the so-called Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice beyond an advisory role, as it is now given a clear mandate to enforce the decree. This, along with the imposed restrictions, which are punishable under Taliban law, violates legal obligations and treaties to which Afghanistan is a state party, including undermining the right of the Afghan people to due process. The European statement said: "This latest decision constitutes another serious blow that undermines the rights of Afghan women and girls, which we cannot tolerate. We urge the Taliban to end these systematic and systematic violations against Afghan women and girls, which may amount to sexual persecution, a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to which Afghanistan is a State Party.

The decree also creates another self-imposed obstacle to the normalization of relations and recognition by the international community, which the Taliban openly aspire to. Such potential recognition, as stated in the UN independent assessment, which UN Security Council Resolution 2721 (2023) took positive note of, would require the Taliban to fully respect its obligations towards the citizens of Afghanistan and Afghanistan’s international obligations.

The European Union continues to stand by the women and girls of Afghanistan, and all those threatened by the Taliban in Afghanistan.