A young Afghan woman has been arrested by the Taliban’s morality police while secretly training girls in taekwondo.
Khadija Ahmadzada, 22, was conducting training in the parking area of a residential home in the western city of Herat on Saturday morning when she was detained, local sources told Rukhshana Media on condition of anonymity.
“We didn’t know where they took her,” the source said. “After searching for a long time, we found out she had been transferred to prison.”
Ahmadzada’s father and the owner of the house where the training took place were also arrested and all three are being held in Herat’s central prison, the source said.
She set up the informal training space so that girls in Herat could continue practising sport after the Taliban imposed draconian restrictions on women’s activities, the source said.
When Taliban officers knocked on the door, the students escaped through another exit, but Ahmadzada was taken away.
“Sport, which should be a symbol of health, hope and life, has become a crime in Afghanistan,” the source said. “This is not just an arrest. People are detained without explanation and without anyone taking responsibility.”
Her Instagram account, which had around 2,000 followers and featured posts about her sporting activities, has been shut down.
Taliban authorities in Herat have not commented on the case.
