Female artists from Afghanistan have penned an urgent plea to the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, for support to protect women’s rights in Afghanistan.
In an open letter published Monday, the artists described their homeland as having transformed into a confining cage, devoid of any refuge for them or escape, since the Taliban’s takeover of the country in 2021.
The 15 signatories designated themselves a group called ‘Nima’, meaning fair or just.
They said the windows of hope for Afghan women and girls are closed with the Taliban in control, with any critics of the Taliban’s ideology silenced by violence or death.
The letter said women and girls are being subjected to daily oppression and both psychological and physical torture, including public executions and forced marriages.
The Taliban’s policies are effectively imprisioning women and girls in their own homes, with no recourse for them but to endure alone all its burden of threats, sorrow, anguish, fear, and dread, the group said.
“We expect the powerful country of Germany to pay serious attention to the rights of women and girls in this land and not to recognize this terrorist and ignorant group [Taliban],” they said.
The letter closed with a heartfelt appeal to Chancellor Scholz to intervene and safeguard their lives, aspirations, and fundamental human rights.
“We don’t ask much from you, we only reach out to you to save our dreams and goals, for our human rights, so that you can be a hope for us. We just want another chance to save our lives,” it stated.
At the time of publishing this story, the Chancellor had not yet responded to the letter.
