The president of the European Parliament used a strong condemnation of escalating violence against women in Afghanistan. Furthermore, she warned the international community that the Taliban will soon start practicing execution of capital punishment in public.
Roberta Metsola spoke to the General Assembly of the European Parliamen in Strasbourg, France, on Monday, November 21. According to Metsola, women are being denied their most fundamental rights and now, 15 months after the Taliban takeover, their fate remains unclear. In essence, their lives have all but stopped. “The European Parliament is committed to the people of Afghanistan, not to its rulers. The Taliban want the women to be invisible, we want them to thrive. We will continue to support women in Afghanistan and strengthen their voice until they achieve their true position in the society,” states the president.
In addition to her concerns about the fate of Afghanistan’s women, she is raising an alarm about changes to the Taliban’s form of justice. Her warning comes days after the Taliban leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, met with Taliban judges and emphasized the need to enforce “hudud and qisas” according to Islamic sharia. According to the Taliban’s interpretation, “hudud and qisas” can include lashing, amputating, and stoning to death in front of public crowds.
His statement has raised concerns in the international community about the human rights crisisin Afghanistan.
“Reports from Kandahar indicate that despite [Taliban’s] initial promises to uphold women’s rights, the world will once again witness practicing execution in public places, stoning, lashing, and amputation of human beings,” Metsola stated.
Metsola’s concerns about restarting capital punishment in Afghanistan comes at a time when the Taliban’s agents at the directorate of vice and virtue have publicly lashed 18 men and women in Takhar and another young couple in Bamiyan just in the past two weeks. The “crimes” for which those people were lashed includes a woman outside her home without a mahram, not observing the Islamic hijab, getting a haircut, shaving their beards, and listening to music.
