New restrictions for female athletes are very challenging

Afghanistan: A number of female athletes in the country say the new restrictions are very challenging for them.

Ramzieya Saedi, who is a member of the Rostami wrestling team and the national Taekwondo team, said that she has been practicing sports for ten years. She has participated in international competitions. For the past five months, her sports activities have stopped.

In the meantime, officials of the Ministry of Virtue and Vice said that such rules are not restrictions but protection for the women and girls of the country.

“This is not a restriction, but provides protection and dignity to women,” said Mawlawi Mohammad Sadiq Aakef, spokesman for the Ministry of Virtue and Vice.

Following the imposition of restrictions on women, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called 2021 the worst year for women in Afghanistan, and the State Department appointed Rina Amiri as the US Special Envoy for Women, Girls, and Human Rights in Afghanistan.

The Taliban insist that the rights of all people, including women, are protected under Islamic law.