A new restriction on the freedoms of Afghan women, undermined in seven months of governance, which this time concerns air travel. Two officials from Ariana Afghan Airlines and Kam Air said on Sunday evening that they had been banned by the Taliban from issuing tickets to Afghan women if they are not accompanied by a male relative for their trip.
A letter sent by a senior official of Ariana Afghan Airlines to the staff of the company, and of which AFP obtained a copy, confirms these new instructions applied to all flights. “No female is permitted to fly domestic or international flights without a male relative,” the letter reads.
Doubt remains concerning foreign women
Two travel agents contacted by AFP also confirmed that they had stopped issuing tickets to women wishing to travel alone. Some “who were traveling without a male relative were not allowed to board a Kam Air flight from Kabul to Islamabad on Friday”, a female passenger who was on the flight told the news agency.
It was not clear if the new directive also applies to foreigners, but local media reported the case of an Afghan woman with an American passport who was prevented from flying last week.
Since their return to power on August 15, the Taliban have gradually swept away 20 years of freedom won by women, despite promises to be more flexible than during their first regime (1996-2001), when women were deprived almost all of their rights.
They quickly barred Afghan women from many government jobs and controlled the way they dressed. They also arrested and detained women activists – some for several weeks – who had demonstrated for women’s rights.
Women and men separated in Kabul parks
At the end of December, the Taliban fundamentalists had already prohibited Afghan women from making trips of more than 72 km in the country if they were not accompanied by a male member of the family. This new restriction comes a few days after the decision of the Taliban to close secondary schools for girls, just after their reopening which had however been announced for a long time.
Another restriction was announced on Sunday by the dreaded Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice: the separation of women and men in Kabul’s public parks, with visiting days imposed for each sex. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are now reserved for men and Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays for women.
“It is not an order from the Islamic Emirate but an order from our God that men and women who are not related should not meet in the same place,” Mohammad Yahya Aref, an official, told AFP. responsible for the ministry.
More programs in Pashto, Persian and Uzbek
The Taliban also appear to have set their sights on local media, which flourished under previous US-backed regimes. On Sunday, they ordered the BBC’s Afghan television partners to stop broadcasting their programs in Pashto, Persian and Uzbek.
“Since foreign television channels are broadcast from abroad, the Islamic Emirate has no access to control their content, especially with regard to the clothing of journalists,” said Inlamulah Samangani, spokesperson of the Taliban.
“Sometimes they also aired content that had issues with our religious values, Afghan culture and national security interests,” he added. “Another development that is chilling (…) Another repressive measure against the Afghan people”, denounced on Twitter the United Nations assistance mission in Afghanistan, about the cessation of these programs.