Global Female Foreign Ministers Condemn Rights Restrictions Against Afghan Women

Afghan burqa-clad women stand in line to receive food aid from an NGO at a gymnasium in Kabul on January 17.

The 11 female foreign ministers attending the Munich Security Council have issued a joint statement condemning the efforts of Afghanistan's Taliban to "exclude women from all public life." "Women are kept from strolling in parks, are not seen on TV screens anymore, are deprived from their right to attend schools and universities, and are now also kept from working in humanitarian assistance," the statement noted, calling on the Taliban to lift the restrictions on women immediately. The statement also expressed support for "the brave women and men of Iran in their daily fight for their rights and freedom."