Afghan women are no longer allowed to catch flights without a male relation according to the Taliban who have recently imposed an array of bans on citizens.
According to the Associated Press, several women who were set to travel on domestic and international flights were stopped from boarding by Taliban officials as they didn’t have a male chaperone. Although the Taliban has yet to comment on the matter, several other bans have been imposed on women.
Schools were supposed to open for girls over the age of 12 earlier in the week, however the decision was overturned hours after they opened with girls ordered to go home or unable to enter classrooms. Taliban spokesperson Inamullah Samangani told AFP that the reversal was “true” but that no further comment could be made at this time with small protests by teachers, women and schoolgirls taking place in the streets of Kabul in retaliation to the decision.
Additional bans include the segregation of men and women at public parks where it was deemed by the Taliban that men and women can’t visit the park on the same day. Official Mohammad Yahya Aref of the Vice Ministry said that “It is not the Islamic Emirate’s order but our God’s order that men and women who are strangers to each other should not gather at one place.”
The Taliban have enforced the removal of the BBC news broadcast from Afghanistan TV. Head of Languages for the BBC World Service Tarik Kafala commented that the sanction will affect more than six million Afghanis’ who watch the independent broadcaster.
“This is a worrying development at a time of uncertainty and turbulence for the people of Afghanistan,” he said.
“We call on the Taliban to reverse their decision and allow out TV partners to return the BBC’s news bulletins to their airwaves immediately.”
Other news outlets have been taken off the air including Voice of America (VOA) with Taliban spokesperson Abdul Haq Hammad saying that their cultural and political views are contradictory to Taliban policies. Sanctions have also been placed on government officials who are not allowed to work unless they have beards and adhere to a strict dress code of long covering clothing and a hat or turban.
