Afghanistan school closure: French MPs call for sanctions on Taliban officials

In a letter to the French president and parliament speaker, the signers said they sought to force the Islamic Emirate to fulfill its commitments.

“Human rights abuses have been widely reported since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the deprivation of female students from schools, the deprivation of women from work, the ban on women traveling and leaving their homes without a mahram are major acts committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan during this period, which is why we call on President Macron to add sanctions to the travel of Taliban officials,” the letter reads as quoted by Tolo News.

Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, USA and several other nations last month condemned the Taliban’s decision not to re-open secondary schools to Afghan girls.

"We are united in our condemnation of the Taliban’s decision on March 23 to deny so many Afghan girls the opportunity to finally go back to school. The Taliban’s action contradicted its public assurances to the Afghan people and to the international community," read a statement issued by the foreign ministers of several nations.

"The decision came after months of work by the international community to support teacher stipends based on an expectation that schools would be open for all, with the higher interest of Afghan students and teachers in mind.  And sadly, it came as eager Afghan girls were walking to their schools for the first time in seven months," it said.

The ministers urged the Taliban government to reverse the decision.