Taliban bans women from Kabul parks and gyms

The Taliban have banned women from entering Kabul’s parks and gyms, accusing them of breaking Islamic laws in the capital. A spokesman from the vice and virtue ministry said that Afghans managing the city’s parks, gyms and fairgrounds had been ordered to turn women away, including those with male chaperones. The Taliban had been enforcing gender segregation rules that gave women access to parks on three days a week – Sunday, Monday and Tuesday – while men were allowed to visit on the remaining four days. The ban is the latest draconian restriction on women’s rights and freedoms, including preventing women from travelling long distances without a male escort.