In a distressing new statement released from Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban chief condones the public stoning of women for committing what the Taliban deems as adultery and other ‘crimes and violations’ of strict Taliban edicts. Such harsh and barbaric violence against women is the next step taken by the Taliban and their ruler as they continue to perpetuate violence and oppression for Afghan women and girls throughout the country.
As the UN and the global community urge the Taliban to reverse all edicts and decrees, including those sanctioning flogging, public executions, and stoning, the Taliban remains defiant, issuing further decrees. This harsh reality persists for many Afghan women and girls, unjustly subjected to the strict Taliban rules that have deprived them of their human rights.
Such strict punishment stems from the Taliban’s own ideology, much of it in contradiction with Islamic principles and Afghan values. The Taliban claim it is their interpretation of Islam, in which they use their leader’s strict interpretations of the religion to perpetuate violence against and oppression of Afghan women and girls.
The Taliban Chief criticizes democracy and the increased concern of western critics of his regime, stating that other nations across the globe only deem the Taliban’s actions as human rights violations as they “conflict with your [other nations] democratic principles.” This cruel view towards human rights coupled with a lack of regard for international laws and obligations suggest a dark outlook on future Taliban action.
Distressing actions such as the ones that Akhundzada has taken to ensure oppression of women and girls further exemplifies the pertinent need for action in Afghanistan. Public humiliation and physical punishment and the involvement of barbaric harm accompanying unjustifiable decrees is yet another direct attack against women and girls.
The Taliban’s relentless attacks on women and girls are destructive, with more and more women each day dependent on aid due to job loss and restricted personal freedoms at the hand of the Taliban.
The actions of the Taliban must serve as a catalyst for the criminalization of Gender Apartheid, with perpetrators held accountable for their actions. Normalizing relations with the Taliban would only signal complicity in their oppression of women and girls. The women and girls of Afghanistan are entitled to basic human rights, and it is the responsibility of the global community to stand in solidarity with them and resist any attempts to normalize their subjugation.
