Human rights activists and women’s protest movements stress that in addition to addressing the plight of earthquake victims in Herat, people, and human rights organizations must not forget the female protesters and other human rights activists in Taliban’s custody. They claim that Julia Parsi and Neda Parwani have been in Taliban prison for several weeks, and so far, their families have been unable to establish contact with these women. These movements, concerned about the uncertain status of detainees, emphasize that human rights organizations, especially the United Nations, should be informed about their situation. On the other hand, some of their relatives confirm that they have not been able to obtain any information or contact with the detainees yet. Nevertheless, reliable sources say that Julia Parsi and Neda Parwani are detained in one of the Taliban’s intelligence prisons, but confirm that their families have been unable to establish contact with them.
Over the past two years, the Taliban have continuously suppressed and detained female protesters. On Wednesday, September 27 this year, they detained Julia Parsi, the leader of the Self-Motivating Women’s protest group in Afghanistan, along with her son from their home in Kabul, and there is still no information about their fate. Similarly, Neda Parwani, a member of this movement, was detained in Kabul on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, with her husband and son by Taliban fighters, and there is no information about her whereabouts.
Several human rights activists and women’s protest movements have persistently demanded the release and disclosure of the status of civil activists and female protesters in Taliban prisons. They have called on the United Nations to cooperate in this regard. According to these movements, the United Nations, through its interactions and dialogues with the Taliban, should seek information about the fate of these female protesters.
In response to the detention of these two female protesters, women and girls have organized protest gatherings in confined spaces, demanding the release of these two women’s rights activists. A friend of these two women in Taliban’s custody, who has managed several protest actions in response to the detention of these women, expresses concern about the unknown status of Julia Parsi and Neda Parwani. She uses the pseudonym “Maryam” and states, “Unfortunately, our country is a field of crisis and tragedy. Major calamities cause those who have fallen victim to justice to be forgotten. Our plea to everyone is that, alongside empathy and assistance to the victims of the Herat disaster and solidarity with the people of Baghlan, they should not forget the detained women and activists in prison. They have been taken into captivity for the sake of justice and freedom, and after 20 days, we do not know their whereabouts and their situation.”
However, a reliable source informed the Hasht-e Subh Daily that Julia Parsi and Neda Parwani are being held in one of the Taliban’s intelligence prisons. According to the source, the Taliban have exploited their current situation and may have subjected them to severe torture to extract forced confessions. The source adds, “Julia Parsi and Neda Parwani are in the custody of the intelligence department, and the Taliban do not allow anyone to visit them until they complete their investigations. During this time, they may have been continuously subjected to torture and coerced into giving false confessions.”
On the other hand, some sources assert that the family members of these women should petition the Taliban’s public intelligence office, demanding to know their whereabouts and ensuring their well-being. Sources say that the families of these detained women need to knock on various Taliban doors to obtain information about the fate of the detainees.
Women and female activists are calling on all women not to stay silent in response to the detention of Julia Parsi and Neda Parwani. They claim that these detained women have consistently spoken out against the Taliban’s policies and restrictions on women and have actively protested the group’s harsh measures. Today, advocating for their release is imperative.
Parwana (a pseudonym) among the female protesters asserts that these two women have steadfastly opposed the Taliban’s “gender apartheid” and “misogynistic” policies for the last two years. Today, women must rise to their defense and ensure that they are not left forgotten in the depths of Taliban prisons for pursuing their rights.
Julia Parsi, a female protester in Kabul, has consistently condemned the Taliban’s policies and restrictions on women and actively protested their harsh measures. In response to the ban on educating girls, she played a role in establishing a library in Kabul for women and girls deprived of education.
Previously, human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have called on the Taliban to immediately release these women and other human rights and civil activists. Amnesty International has expressed deep concern over the arbitrary detention of Julia Parsi, a women’s rights activist by the Taliban. Amnesty International continues to demand an immediate halt to arbitrary detentions, unlawful disappearances, and forced disappearances of activists, journalists, and critics by the Taliban. The organization has also called for the establishment of an independent international accountability mechanism to address human rights violators in Afghanistan.
Women’s protest movements have previously emphasized that these two female protesters were advocating for justice, equality, and freedom for the people of Afghanistan. They urge the international community to exert the necessary pressure on the terrorist group of the Taliban for their release.
In response to the detention of these two women protesters last week, the Afghanistan Women’s Justice Movement emphasized that, over the past two years, the Taliban have silenced opposing voices by imprisoning, torturing, and even killing their critics.
Furthermore, Richard Bennett, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, the European Union, U.S. Special Representatives for Peace and Human Rights in Afghanistan, and UNAMA have also called for the immediate and unconditional release of Julia Parsi, Neda Parwani, and other activists, including Rasoul Parsi, Matiullah Wesa, and Mortaza Behboudi, by the Taliban.
It is worth mentioning that women and female protesters are reporting a worsening human rights situation in Afghanistan. Recently, the United Nations Human Rights Council, in its fifty-fourth session, approved a draft resolution on the human rights situation in Afghanistan and the extension of Richard Bennett’s mandate as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights for the country for another year.
The council has urged Richard Bennett and the UN Task Force on Violence Against Women to compile a report on “institutionalized discrimination, gender segregation, human rights violations, and the expulsion of women” by June of the next year.
