UN Criticizes Taliban's New Vice and Virtue Laws in Afghanistan

The Taliban dismissed United Nations criticism of new vice and virtue laws banning Afghan women from baring their faces and speaking in public. UNAMA's Roza Otunbayeva described the laws as extending already severe restrictions on women, while the Taliban stressed the importance of understanding Islamic Sharia law.

On Monday, the Taliban outrightly rejected concerns from the United Nations regarding newly implemented vice and virtue laws prohibiting women in Afghanistan from revealing their faces or speaking in public spaces.

Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN mission UNAMA, stated that the laws create a 'distressing vision' of Afghanistan's future, further extending already severe restrictions on women's rights.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's main spokesman, asserted that understanding Islamic Sharia law is crucial before criticizing these measures, warning against what he termed 'arrogance' from non-Muslims.

(With inputs from agencies.)