After Kabul, women’s protests against the so-called “Genocide of the Hazaras” expanded to Herat and Bamyan provinces. The students of Herat and Bamyan Universities have launched a wider demonstration than the female protesters in Kabul. Protesters in Bamyan described the suicide attack on the Kaaj Educational Training Center in the west Kabul city as a clear example of genocide and demanded practical measures from the United Nations Security Council and human rights institutions beyond issuing declarations. However, the march of protesting women in Herat was suppressed by the Taliban fighters using violence from the first minutes. Insulting, humiliating, beating, aerial gun firing, breaking mobile phones, and assaulting women by the Taliban are some of the cases that form women’s complaints. Protesters and women’s rights activists call the Taliban’s treatment of women petitioners “violent” and “immoral”.
Female students in Herat province started a march from the gate of Herat University before noon on Sunday, October 2, chanting the slogans “Stop the genocide” and “Education is our right”. These protestors were planning to reach the Herat provincial government center and continue their protest there, but in the first moments, they faced repression from the Taliban militants.
Lida, a protesting student in the Herat province, tells Hasht-e Subh Daily that in the first moments of the march, a large number of female students joined the protestors. Ms. Lida adds: “As soon as the demonstration started, the Taliban closed the entrance gate of the university to the protesting students using guns, sticks, and aerial gun firings. They did not allow us to enter the university grounds nor could we leave.”
This protesting student explains that to stop this demonstration, the Taliban fighters beat several female protesters with sticks.
Fahmia, another protesting student, criticizes the harsh treatment of the Taliban and says: “The Taliban did not respect humanity or Islam. Contrary to the claim of being Muslim and keeping the hijab, the Taliban attacked many girls today and took them by their hands and arms, or took away their hijab. Fahmia calls this encounter of the Taliban fighters with female protesters a “rape and attack on the lives of non-mahram women”.
Meanwhile, videotapes of the march of female protesters in Herat province provided to Hasht-e Subh Daily, show that one of the Taliban took hold of a female protester’s arm and pushed her away from the gate of Herat University. This Taliban fighter carries an AK-47 weapon in his other hand and asks this female protester to leave the area in a harsh and inhumane tone.
Ruqiyeh, another protesting student in Herat province, explains that the Taliban beat the women with sticks and broke many of their phones. Also, unconfirmed reports of the arrest of several women and female professors at Herat University have been published. Hasht-e Subh Daily could not confirm the truth of this matter. However, several men who accompanied the protesting women in Herat province have been arrested by the Taliban. The release of these men has not been reported yet.
In addition to this, dozens of female students marched through the Bamyan market on Sunday morning, October 2, in Bamiyan province. This demonstration was also held against what is called “genocide” in the country. By issuing a five-point resolution, protesting women in Bamyan province have described the suicide attack at the Kaj Educational Training Center in the west of Kabul the capital, which led to the death of dozens of teenage students, as a “clear example of genocide” in Afghanistan.
These women protestors asked the Taliban to be accountable and take practical steps against what they call “Genocide”. They still want the Taliban to put an end to the culture of suicide and explosions against civilians in the country. These protesters also called on the citizens of the country to join them and stand against the phenomenon of genocide in Afghanistan. In the march of female protesters in Bamyan province, there was no report of violence by the Taliban.
In the declaration that these female protesters published, they have been criticizing the international institutions, as it is stated: “We ask the United Nations Security Council and other international human rights institutions to take practical steps, beyond issuing declarations, to stop the genocide of the Hazaras in Afghanistan.” Addressing the human rights organizations, they clarify that the condemnation of explosive and suicide attacks by the spokespersons of international organizations in the past years has not been able to stop the ongoing crimes in Afghanistan, especially the genocides.
However, women’s rights activists welcome the march of female protesters in Herat and Bamyan provinces and criticize the absence of men in such demonstrations for justice. Julia Parsi, a women’s rights activist and one of the female protestors in Kabul, told Hasht-e Subh Daily that only a handful of men joined them in the protest held in Kabul. According to her, if men also stand by women, the protests will become stronger and will have a positive result. Ms. Parsi adds: “During the women’s march in Kabul, we were beaten by the Taliban, but the men were only spectating us.” In addition to the fact that they did not join us, they did not even want to save us from being beaten by the Taliban.”
This women’s rights activist describes the Taliban fighters’ treatment of female protesters in Kabul and Herat provinces as completely violent and inhumane. Mrs. Parsi says: “The violence that the Taliban did against protesting women in the last two days is the worst kind of violence for a human being. The Taliban fighters do not adhere to humanity, honor, and any human principles.”
The march of women in response to the suicide attack at the Kaj Educational Training Center in the west of Kabul, which left dozens of victims, has continued in Kabul, Herat, and Bamyan provinces for the past two days. The main goal and demands of these protests were, to stop the explosive and suicide attacks that target the civilian citizens of the country.
There was already a protest held in this regard previously, several protesting women on Saturday, October 1, chanted the slogans “Genocide is a crime, silence is treason!”, “Justice! Justice!, we are tired of ignorance!”, “Stop the genocide of the Hazaras!” and “No to tyranny, move forward for prosperity!” in the west of Kabul. At the same time, several students of Kabul Education University also started a separate protest in response to the suicide attack on Kaaj Educational Training Center. These female students chanted slogans such as “Education is not a sin!”, “Security is our right!”, “We want security!”, “Death to the enemies of knowledge!”, “We are all one!”, “Join us!” and “Stop the genocide of the Hazaras!”.
The Taliban have resorted to violence to disperse these protesters. Several protesting girls in Kabul the capital have confirmed that they were beaten by the Taliban militants and the cell phones of some of their companions were broken by the fighters of this group. According to these protestors, the Taliban surrounded them and started aerial gun firing to prevent them from taking pictures of the protest.
In the demonstration held two days ago in Kabul, the Taliban militants were also accused of inappropriately touching protesting women. Dragging, whipping, beating with their AK-47s buttstock, and tearing women’s clothes are some of the things that female protesters in Kabul attribute to the Taliban. The videotapes that have been published during this protest show that the Taliban fighters disperse the protesters and start shooting in the air and the women run away. In another image circulating on social media, a Taliban fighter can be seen holding the hand of a female protester and trying to take her phone with his other hand.
Protesting women and girls in Kabul, Herat, and Bamyan provinces have started mass marches while on Friday morning, September 30, a massive explosion took place in the Kaaj Educational Training Center in the Dasht-e Barchi area in the west of Kabul. This explosion was caused by a suicide attack that killed or injured more than 140 students. Most of the victims of this suicide attack are female students. This attack happened when the students gathered in this educational center to pass the demo entrance examination. The Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has confirmed the death of 35 people and the wounding of 82 students. The Taliban have announced the number of victims of this attack as 24 dead and 31 wounded.
Reactions to the Suppression of Women’s Protests
The harsh treatment of the Taliban against women protestors in Kabul and Herat provinces has brought widespread reactions from citizens, officials of other countries, and international organizations. The citizens of the country have described the Taliban’s treatment of protesting women as violence against women.
Also, Rina Amiri, the U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls and Human Rights, called the violent behavior of the Taliban against protesting women a sign of the “weakness and fear” of this group. She has said by tweeting: “Any kind of request for good governance should be considered with measures to protect the most vulnerable people; Not suppressing and silencing them with violence and intimidation.”
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has also criticized the Taliban’s inappropriate treatment of protesting women. Expressing concern about the behavior of the Taliban, this organization has said that the Taliban must ensure the rights of all Afghan citizens. According to the officials of this organization, peaceful protests are a citizen’s right and weapons should not be used to suppress them.
However, after the women’s march in Kabul, Khaled Zadran, the spokesman of the Taliban police in Kabul, said that the protesters should inform the security institutions of this group before starting the marches so that security measures can be taken for them. Taliban officials have not yet commented on the harsh treatment of female protesters by their militants.
