France says women in Afghanistan face systematic rights violations

France’s representative told the United Nations Security Council on Monday that the Taliban have stripped Afghan women of their rights, effectively turning them into second-class citizens.

The French envoy said the Taliban’s systematic violations of women’s rights could amount to gender persecution and crimes against humanity, stressing such actions must not go unpunished.

He also criticized the Taliban’s newly introduced penal code, saying it further restricts women’s fundamental...