By Rukhshana Media
In an indoor protest on Tuesday in the Afghan capital, Kabul, a group of women called on the Taliban to “immediately release” the arrested activists.
In the videos of the gathering shared with Rukhshana Media, a dozen women covered their faces with masks and placards to conceal their identities. They talked about the repression of women protesters, the Oslo summit, and their demands.
Fatima, a protester, said, “as representatives of a large group of women,” they gathered in an indoor space to send a message to the world about the Taliban’s violent repression of protesters.
“We want to convey to the world, even if we are being prosecuted and do not have safety, we will not give up on our advocacy until we achieve our rights,” she said.
“The women are demanding food, education, and work,” Zahra Mohammadi, an organizer, said in the video. “Protest is the right of every citizen, but with arresting Tamana and Parwana, [Taliban] proved there is no freedom of expression, and women do not have any status in Afghanistan.”
Tamana Zaryab Paryani, her three sisters, and Parwana Ibrahimkhel, who had participated in recent anti-Taliban protests in Kabul, were arrested from their homes on January 19, according to family members and eyewitnesses.
Despite the Taliban’s repeated denial, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the head of the Taliban delegation in Oslo, hinted that some “emotional” Taliban soldiers could have been involved.
“The [Taliban] should immediately release Tamana and Parwana and stop prosecuting and threatening the protesters,” Mohammadi demanded.
Speaking on the first day of a three-day summit in Oslo, Norway, Hoda Khamush, a women’s rights protest organizer, asked the Taliban delegation to release her activist friends.
The protesters said they support Khamush as their representative, but not the other women politicians and activists who spoke at the summit.
“We don’t want them to speak on our behalf because they live in comfort, and they can never understand us,” said Roya, a protester.
The women said they were being targeted for demanding their rights. “They told us any opposition to the Islamic Emirate would be severely repressed,” said Mohammadi, the organizer, noting it might reduce their chance of coming to the streets.
On Monday, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the Taliban to ensure the release of women activists.
The HRW said the Taliban’s response to the arrests shows they “intent to eradicate critical women’s voices through unlawful use of force.”
Last week, the HRW also said the Taliban are “using harsh tactics to crush Afghan women’s rights Protest.”
