The European Union on Wednesday, Dec. 4, condemned the Taliban for violating human rights and women’s access to education after media reports that the Taliban’s leader has ordered private and public institutions to stop providing medical courses for women and girls in Afghanistan. The BBC and others reported that five institutions across Afghanistan said the Taliban had instructed them to close until further notice, and women training as midwives and nurses were ordered not to return to classes Wednesday. The Taliban have neither confirmed the order nor responded to the reports. The Public Health Ministry spokesman was unavailable for comment.