The Taliban on Monday rejected criticisms announced by the United Nations over new laws that ban women in Afghanistan from baring their faces and speaking in public places.
Roza Otunbayeva, who heads the U.N. mission in the country, “UNAMA,” said on Sunday that the laws provided a “distressing vision” for Afghanistan’s future. She also said that the laws extend the “already intolerable restrictions” on rights of women and girls.
“After decades of war and in the midst of a terrible humanitarian crisis, the Afghan people deserve much better than being threatened or jailed if they happen to be late for prayers, glance at a member of the opposite sex who is not a family member, or possess a photo of a loved one,” Otunbayeva said.