KABUL - The Taliban (under UN sanctions over terrorism) have closed an art school in the province of Herat in western Afghanistan after it became known that girls were studying there, informed sources told Sputnik.
The sources in Herat said that the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice closed the Kamaleddin Behzad Gallery, which also functioned as an art school, on Sept 5 for teaching calligraphy to two girls. The gallery was established under the previous government and operated for 40 years, the sources added.
The group has slashed women's rights to travel, study and work since it took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 after the withdrawal of international troops and the collapse of the US-backed government.
In late 2022, the Taliban banned girls and women from attending secondary schools and higher education institutions. The move faced international backlash, with many countries and the United Nations urging the Afghan authorities to lift the restrictions on women's rights. - BERNAMA