Italy's government has condemned as "deplorable" the new restrictions requiring women to cover their faces in public in Afghanistan, which the ruling Taliban announced at the weekend.
"The new restrictions imposed by the interim authorities in Kabul on women’s clothing and movements represent a deplorable erosion of Afghan women’s freedoms," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"This is inconsistent with the respect of fundamental rights and a further obstacle to the social development of the country," the statement added.
Afghan women's male relatives must ensure they comply with the Taliban's face-covering order, the latest in a series of sweeping restrictions on women including the right to travel long distances alone, work outside healthcare or education, and receive a secondary education.
