CNN —
The Taliban government has suspended university education for all female students in Afghanistan, the latest step in its crackdown on Afghan women’s rights and freedoms.
A spokesman for Afghanistan’s higher education ministry confirmed the suspension to CNN on Tuesday. A letter released by the Education Ministry said the decision was made at a cabinet meeting and the order will come into effect immediately.
Girls were banned from returning to secondary schools in March after the Taliban ordered schools for girls to close just hours after they reopened after months of being closed following the Taliban takeover in August 2021.
Human Rights Watch on Tuesday criticized the ban, calling it a “shameful decision that violates the right to education for women and girls in Afghanistan.”
“The Taliban make it clear every day that they do not respect the basic rights of Afghans, especially women,” the human rights watchdog said in a statement.
After taking power in Afghanistan last year, the Taliban tried to present a more dovish image in order to gain international support.
But while they have made numerous promises to the international community to protect the rights of women and girls, the Taliban are doing the opposite, systematically targeting their rights and freedoms.
Women in Afghanistan are no longer able to work in most sectors, require a male guardian for long-distance travel and have been instructed to cover their faces in public.
This is breaking news, more to come.