Members of Afghan women’s protest movements took to the streets of Kabul today, in response to the United Nations’ stance on the recent Doha meeting on Afghanistan and the potential recognition of the Taliban.
The protesters gathered at around 1:20PM on Taimani Project Street in Kabul city, chanting slogans such as “The unzealous Taliban are responsible for the pain of the nation”, “We fight, we die, we get our rights”, “Recognizing the Taliban is a disgrace to the world” and “The Taliban commits crimes, the world supports them”.
Shamayel Tawana, one of the protesters, said the demonstration was stopped after about 30 minutes when the Taliban assaulted the protesters and dispersed them. She said the main aim of the protest was to express opposition to the issue of recognizing the Taliban and the Doha meeting hosted by the United Nations.
Another protester, who wished to remain anonymous, told Rukhshana Media that the Taliban forces violently attacked them, disrupting their protest and scattering the demonstrators. She added that the Taliban forces used derogatory language, calling the women “wild prostitutes”.
The protestor also expressed disappointment at the silence of Afghan men, stating, “Afghan men have stayed silent on the cruelty of the barbaric group, and only women and girls protest,” and that they “declare their opposition to the regime.”
A vehicle carrying several journalists reportedly left the scene quickly after spotting Taliban intelligence vehicles arriving.
The protesting women’s movements issued a resolution stating that the Taliban has taken women’s rights hostage in order to strike a deal with the international community for legitimacy, openly violating all international agreements.
In the resolution, the protesters labelled the Taliban as a terrorist group and urged the UN and the international community not to recognize the Taliban government, nor to trade the lives of 40 million people in Afghanistan. They stressed that the Taliban does not deserve recognition or a position as a government and representative of the Afghan people, and any interaction that promotes the group as such should be avoided.
The resolution asserted that the Afghan people view the Taliban as a backward and anti-human group, and until the Afghan people accept the Taliban, the international community should not recognize them either. It called for the UN’s stance against the Taliban’s anti-human behavior and hostile policies towards the Afghan people, particularly women, to be clear, decisive, and consistent, with no arbitrary approach to ensuring women’s rights.
The resolution also urged the United Nations and the international community to provide genuine and meaningful support to Afghan women’s civil demands and protests, and to engage seriously and comprehensively in internal and international negotiations and discussions about Afghanistan until women’s rights and demands are met. The protesters warned that if the United Nations recognizes the Taliban, the UN and the countries supporting them would be held responsible for any human rights violations and the process of terrorism in Afghanistan.
Protests against the Doha meeting on Afghanistan are set to take place tomorrow (April 30) in dozens of countries around the world.
