Australia Imposes Sanctions on Taliban Officials Over Rights Abuses

SYDNEY: Australia on Saturday announced financial sanctions and travel bans on four senior officials within Afghanistan’s Taliban government, citing a worsening human rights situation, particularly for women and girls.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the targeted officials were involved in “the oppression of women and girls and in undermining good governance or the rule of law” since the Taliban returned to power.

Australia was among several nations that withdrew troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, after two decades of involvement in the NATO-led mission that trained Afghan forces and fought the Taliban.

Since regaining control, the Taliban has faced global criticism for severely restricting the rights of women and girls, including bans on education, work, and public participation. The group insists it upholds women’s rights according to its interpretation of religious law and local customs.

Wong said the sanctions target three Taliban ministers and the group’s chief justice, accusing them of limiting access for women and girls to education, employment, and freedom of movement.

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The measures fall under a new Australian sanctions framework that allows the government to impose its own penalties and travel bans aimed at pressuring the Taliban over rights violations.

Australia has taken in thousands of Afghan evacuees, mostly women and children, since the Taliban seized control of the war-torn country, where much of the population remains dependent on humanitarian aid.