Australia Imposes Sanctions and Travel Bans on Four Taliban Officials

Australia has imposed sanctions and travel bans on four senior Taliban officials, citing escalating rights violations, especially against women and girls in Afghanistan.

Australia has announced plans to amend its Autonomous Sanctions Regulations in order to impose targeted measures against senior officials and institutions currently governing Afghanistan. The proposed legal changes would enable Canberra to sanction at least 140 individuals and entities.

Australia has announced on Saturday, December 6, financial sanctions and travel bans on four senior Taliban officials, citing worsening human rights conditions in Afghanistan, especially restrictions on women and girls.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the measures are part of a new “world-first” autonomous sanctions framework, giving Canberra the power to directly target Taliban leaders and increase pressure on the group.

Among those named in the sanctions list are Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, Minister for the Promotion of Virtue; Neda Mohammad Nadim, Minister of Higher Education; Abdul Hakim Sharai, Minister of Justice; and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Wong said the officials had been sanctioned due to their involvement “in the oppression of women and girls and in undermining good governance or the rule of law”.

“This includes restricting access to education, employment, freedom of movement and the ability to participate in public life,” she said.

Under the plan, those targeted would face travel bans, financial restrictions, arms embargoes, and prohibitions on receiving services related to weapons or military equipment. The Foreign Ministry said the goal is to strengthen enforcement tools and prevent sanctioned individuals from benefiting from international systems.

Australia already implements United Nations Security Council sanctions, but the government emphasized that incorporating them into national law, while expanding them independently marks a significant shift. With this step, Australia becomes the first country to formally embed sanctions related to Taliban’s rulers into its domestic legal framework.

The ministry said the decision is a response to widespread human rights violations reported since August 2021, including restrictions affecting women and girls, religius minorities, ethnic groups, and civil society. Officials described the sanctions framework as an effort to drive accountability and encourage policy change.

In December 2022, the Taliban banned women from universities, a decision widely condemned by global governments and rights groups. The UN estimates at least 1.4 million Afghan girls are denied education, representing around 80 percent of school-age girls.

Since the Taliban takeover, poverty has deepened, worsened by bans on women working, leaving millions dependent on humanitarian aid.

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