How do Afghans live with the Taliban in power?
1:04
(CNN) --
The United States is imposing new visa restrictions against some members and former members of the Taliban, members of non-state security groups and others believed to be involved in the crackdown on the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, it announced. on Wednesday US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The announcement comes more than a month after the Taliban announced a ban on women attending universities and working with non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Blinken cited those decisions as contributing to the new visa bans, saying the US condemns the actions in "the strongest terms."
“The most recent Taliban edicts ban women from entering universities and working with NGOs, and expand on earlier Taliban measures that closed secondary schools to girls and limited the ability of women and girls to participate in Afghan society and economy," Blinken said in a State Department statement.
"Through these decisions, the Taliban have once again shown their disregard for the well-being of the Afghan people," he added.
The State Department statement did not name those affected by the measure.
advertising
UN Security Council 'deeply alarmed' by Taliban restrictions on women
Blinken pointed to other actions by the Taliban that have undermined the rights of women and girls since the group seized control of the country following the chaotic US military withdrawal in 2021.
“So far, the Taliban's actions have forced more than a million Afghan girls and young women of school age out of classrooms, with more women out of universities and countless Afghan women out of the workforce.
These numbers will only grow as time goes on, worsening the country's already dire economic and humanitarian crises," Blinken said.
Considering equal access to education and work an "essential component for the vitality and resilience of entire populations," Blinken said these steps will damage the Taliban's position globally.
“The Taliban cannot expect the respect and support of the international community until they respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Afghans, including women and girls,” Blinken said.
Blinken once again pledged to work with allies to impose "significant costs" for the Taliban's actions.
How do Afghans live with the Taliban in power?
1:04
TalibanVisa