EU diplomacy stressed that it was “deeply concerned” by the deteriorating living conditions of women and girls in Afghanistan a day after the violent suppression of women’s mobilization in Kabul.

Last Saturday, Taliban forces fired several shots into the air and hit, among other things, with rifle butts dozens of women who were demonstrating demanding “bread, work and freedom.” They chased some and broke into shops, where they took refuge, where they were beaten again.

The Taliban have imposed increasingly stringent restrictions on women since they re-seized power in Afghanistan exactly one year ago on August 15, 2021.

“The European Union is particularly concerned about the fate of women and girls in Afghanistan, who are systematically deprived of their freedoms, rights and access to basic services such as education,” Joseph Borrell, a senior European diplomat, said during a press conference. press release issued by its services.

“The EU reiterates that Afghanistan must abide by the agreements that the country has signed, including supporting and protecting the economic, cultural, civil and political rights of all Afghans, and allowing them full, equal and meaningful participation in the governance of the country. country,” he continues.

The announcement also reminded that the provision of any humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan is dependent on the Taliban’s respect for fundamental human rights principles, “in particular the rights of girls, children and minorities.”

He also emphasizes that “Afghanistan should not pose a threat to the security of other countries.”

The Taliban assured that they were not aware of the presence in the country of the leader of Al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, whom US President Joe Biden announced on August 2 that he had been killed in Kabul by an American drone strike.