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Top Taliban officials have been sanctioned and banned from travelling to Australia as the federal government increases pressure on the militant group.
Australia has placed the measures on three Taliban ministers and Afghanistan’s chief justice, which means Australians from Saturday will be prohibited from supplying them with arms or similar services, and using or dealing with their assets and funds.
“The Taliban continues to demonstrate contempt for the rights, freedoms and welfare of the Afghan people, particularly women and girls,” she said in a statement.
“The Australian government remains deeply concerned at the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.
“We extend our sympathies to those enduring the Taliban’s harsh rule and to the Afghan diaspora residing in Australia,” the statement read.
Australia has already sanctioned 140 individuals and entities under the United Nations Security Council’s Taliban framework.
Since the fall of Kabul in 2021, the Taliban have deepened their attack on the rights of women and girls since taking over Afghanistan, according to Human Rights Watch.
According to the non-profit organization, the Taliban has not only tightened control over public life but also intensified censorship, detained activists, and left LGBTQI Afghans in increasingly precarious situations.
Australia has provided more than $260 million for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan since 2021 and another $50 million has been allocated.
It established a new framework in order to sanction the three Taliban officials, who were the first to be listed under this measure.
The federal government has similar sanctions in place for other countries, including Iran, Russia and North Korea.
