KABUL: Human Rights Watch has raised alarms over the plight of women activists in Afghanistan, expressing ongoing concerns about arrests, threats, and suppression they face.
A Human Rights Watch report highlighted the continued detention of female protesters, naming Julia Parsi, Manijeh Sediqi, Neda Parwani, and Parisa Azada among those arbitrarily held by the Taliban. The organization emphasized that many more women are in custody, their identities concealed due to families fearing repercussions.
While the Taliban asserts that women have been arrested to prevent foreign program implementation and maintain public security, Human Rights Watch emphasizes the impact on women’s rights activists and their peaceful protests.
The organization called for the release of detained women, emphasizing their non-involvement in anti-government or security activities, but rather their advocacy for women’s education and rights.
Women’s rights activists like Hwaida Hadis stress that the goal is to amplify the voices of Afghan women globally. Sonam Latif, another activist, contends that the arrested women sought only the right for Afghan women and girls to pursue education.
Since the resurgence of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan, women have taken to the streets to protest, demanding their rights to education and work in the country.
