EU slaps sanctions on IEA ministers, chief justice

KABUL (Pajhwok): The European Union has said it is  imposing restrictive measures against 18 individuals and five entities for human rights violations in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Ukraine and Russia.

The IEA ministers of Education and Justice as well as the acting Chief Justice of the Afghanistan Supreme Court are among the six individuals sanctioned because of their sexual and gender-based violence, the EU said in a statement.

The EU said these IEA officials were involved in depriving girls and women of education and work, obstructing access to justice and equal treatment with men.

However, Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on his Twitter page today that the policy of sanctions was in no one’s interest.

He said the EU should resolve issue through interaction, dialogue and understanding  instead of pressure and sanctions.

The EU has imposed similar sanctions on acting higher education minister Neda Mohammad Nadeem and acting minister of law Muhammad Khalid Hanafi.

The fresh sanctions were imposed on Acting Education Minister Habibullah Agha, Acting Minister of Justice Abdul Hakim Sharia and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Sheikh Abdul Hakim Haqqani.

The EU statement said these officials could not visit and invest in the member countries of the European Union.

After the fall of the republic government in Kabul, the Islamic Emirate banned girls education about grade six and later extended the ban to girls’ university education.

ma