UN Urges Repeal of Afghanistan’s Repressive Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Law

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has condemned the law, calling it "utterly intolerable" and demanding its immediate repeal.

The newly-adopted "Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" law by Afghanistan's de facto authorities has sparked outrage, as it enforces policies that effectively erase women's presence in public life, stripping them of their autonomy and silencing their voices. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has condemned the law, calling it "utterly intolerable" and demanding its immediate repeal.

This law imposes a series of severe restrictions on women, violating fundamental human rights, including freedom of movement, expression, and the right to live free from discrimination. The provisions include mandatory full-body coverings for women, a ban on their voices being heard in public, and restrictions on travel without a male relative. Furthermore, the law grants state agents broad powers to detain and punish individuals, intensifying the repression.

The legislation also tightens control over the media, banning the publication of images of human beings, likely including those of government officials.

The UN has urged Afghanistan's de facto authorities to repeal this legislation, emphasizing that disempowering half of the population will only worsen the country's ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis. Instead, this moment calls for uniting all Afghans, regardless of gender, religion, or ethnicity, to address the nation's many challenges.