OTTAWA, Canada – The following is a statement on the rights of Afghan women and girls, by the G7 Foreign Ministers:
“We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, express our strongest opposition and deplore the increasing restrictions imposed on the rights and freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban.
“We stand with the Afghan people in their demand for equal rights in line with the Taliban’s commitments to all Afghans and Afghanistan’s obligations under international law. We condemn the imposition of increasingly restrictive measures that severely limit half the population’s ability to fully, equally and meaningfully participate in society, including the recent announcement on women’s appearance in public along with new punishments for family members to enforce compliance with these restrictions.
“With these moves, the Taliban are further isolating themselves from the international community. Echoing our joint statement, together with Norway, from March 24, we call on the Taliban to urgently take steps to lift restrictions on women and girls, respect their human rights, and meet the expectations of Afghans and the world to permit their full, equal and meaningful participation in work, education and public life, as well as freedom of movement and freedom of speech, which is crucial for long-term peace, stability and development of the country.”
