Antony Blinken: The Taliban have effectively removed women from the public sphere with their decrees.
The U.S. State Department has released its new annual report on the state of human rights in countries, which strongly criticizes the Taliban government for widespread human rights violations in Afghanistan, including ongoing restrictions on women and ethnic and religious minorities.
The report also highlights the continued policies of arrest, killing, persecution, and detention of political opponents by the Taliban.
The U.S. State Department report, referencing these issues and the Taliban’s inflexibility, states that the U.S. has no intention of recognizing the Taliban government. Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, told reporters that this report was prepared in collaboration with international bodies and organizations.
While presenting this report, he said that the Taliban have effectively removed women from the public sphere with their decrees, and the situation for women in Afghanistan has worsened. The Taliban have further limited job opportunities for women, closed educational institutions for girls, and increased public flogging of accused women and men.