Women’s Voices Banned in Public Places in Afghanistan as Taliban Step Up Repression

The Taliban government in Afghanistan has banned women’s voices from being heard in public places and banned women from looking at men who are not family members. The measures are included in an amendment to the Morality Law that promotes El Pais.

Women will not be able to sing, recite or speak into a microphone, and must completely cover their faces with a veil.

According to the document, which consists of more than 100 pages and 35 articles, women must cover their faces and bodies so as not to “cause temptation” and “should not wear attractive, tight or revealing clothing.”

They are also prohibited from using cosmetics and perfumes so that they do not imitate the “dress style of non-Muslim women.”

Women without a male accompaniment cannot use public transport, and drivers of these vehicles are even forced to refuse them entry.

“Application of Sharia [lei islâmica] “And the hijab is our red line. We cannot negotiate with anyone on these issues,” said Virtues and Vices Minister Mohammad Khalid Hanafi.

According to El PaisThe document also sets restrictions for men: they cannot see or approach women to whom they are not related. They are prohibited from wearing ties, trimming their beards below fist length, and combing their hair.

Penalties for any of these violations include “advice, warnings of divine punishment, verbal threats, confiscation of property, detention from one hour to three days in state prisons, and any other punishment deemed appropriate,” the Justice Department said.

If these measures fail to correct the person’s behavior, he will be referred to court for further action.

This is the first official declaration of “vice and virtue” laws since a group of fundamentalists seized power by force in August 2021.