Afghanistan: Inside the world’s most repressive country for women

The Taliban marked the second anniversary of its return to power yesterday with a public holiday.

But few Afghans, both women and men, have much to celebrate.

The Taliban, recently stopped most Afghan female staff from working with aid agencies, closed beauty salons, barred women from parks and curtailed their travel in the absence of any male guardian. In March, the UN said that “Afghanistan under the Taliban remains the most repressive country in the world regarding women’s rights.”

The fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021 followed the US decision to pull troops out of the country by September that year.

Newsnight correspondent Yasminara Khan explores the situation in the country today.