Taleban Promised to Protect Women's Rights... Then Erased 'Women's Faces' with Spray Paint

Taliban "Will Respect Women's Rights"
Taliban to Be Discussed at Next Week's G7 Summit

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] As the Islamic militant group Taliban took control of Afghanistan (Afgan), incidents occurred where photos of women's faces posted at beauty salons in the capital city Kabul were defaced with black spray paint.

AFP reported on the 18th (local time) that "the exterior of a beauty salon in Kabul, which had pictures of women, was severely defaced with spray paint."

Previously, during the Taliban's rule over Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, women were completely banned from social activities such as education and employment opportunities. Women could only leave their homes if accompanied by a male guardian, and were punished if they did not wear the burqa, a traditional full-body covering, when going out.

Having reoccupied Afghanistan after 20 years, the Taliban stated they would "respect women's rights," but based on their actions, international concerns that women's rights will regress are becoming a reality.

The Taliban executed a woman who went outside without wearing a burqa.
Photo by Fox News website capture

This is not the only case of women's rights suppression. According to Fox News, on the previous day (18th), a woman in Takhar Province, Afghanistan, who went out without a burqa, was shot and died covered in blood.

Earlier, Taliban political office spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said in an interview with British Sky News that "women would not need to wear the full-body covering burqa," but photos of a woman shot dead by the Taliban for not wearing a burqa have spread, drawing international criticism.

In another city, footage showed the Taliban threatening a woman who went out to buy groceries without wearing a burqa and forcing her back home.

Meanwhile, on the 19th, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, after talks with leaders of major Western countries, said, "We agreed that no country should hastily recognize the new regime in Kabul," and added, "We will judge the Taliban regime by their attitude and actions toward terrorism, crime, and drugs, humanitarian approaches, and the rights of girls to receive education, rather than by words."

President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Johnson decided to hold a G7 virtual summit next week to discuss strategies related to the Taliban.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.