France condemns in the strongest possible terms the Taliban's deeply shocking, unacceptable decision to require women to wear head-to-toe coverings in public spaces.
This latest, extremely troubling restriction follows several other bans ordered by the Taliban since it seized power by force on August 15, particularly the ban on Afghan girls from attending secondary school and the ban on women from traveling alone.
This decision demonstrates yet again that the Taliban is pursuing a policy of repression and the systematic exclusion of half the population of Afghanistan, which seriously compromises the country's sustainable development and its relations with the rest of the world.
France will continue to closely monitor the increasingly troubling human rights situation in Afghanistan. It will continue to stand steadfastly with the Afghan people and especially Afghan women and girls, whom it assures of its absolute solidarity.