PARIS — The French government on Thursday issued a strong condemnation of the Taliban’s decision to bar Afghan women from accessing medical education, calling the move “intolerable and unjustifiable.”
The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs described the ban as another instance in the Taliban’s systematic violations of women’s and girls’ rights since their return to power more than three years ago.
“This decision is intolerable and unjustifiable, adding to the countless violations of women’s and girls’ rights perpetrated by the Taliban since they seized power by force,” the statement read.
France reaffirmed its commitment to denouncing what it described as “serious and systematic human rights violations” by the Taliban, which it said amount to an attempt to “erase half of Afghanistan’s population.”
The French government linked its condemnation to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2593, adopted in 2021, which demands that the Taliban uphold human rights, including those of women and girls. It warned that “no return to normalcy is possible” unless these violations are halted immediately.
The statement also highlighted the Taliban’s policies of “persecution, segregation, and erasure” of Afghan women, accusing the regime of depriving women of their fundamental rights and enforcing a policy of invisibilization.
France called on the Taliban to reverse all restrictions on women and girls without delay and reiterated its support for the Afghan population through humanitarian projects in education, healthcare, and programs specifically targeting women and girls.
“In the face of the Taliban’s relentless obscurantism, France reaffirms its commitment alongside the Afghan population,” the statement said, noting its collaboration with U.N. agencies and NGOs operating on the ground.
France’s declaration comes amid growing international condemnation of the Taliban’s restrictive policies, which continue to draw sharp criticism from global leaders and human rights organizations.
