It has been four years since the Taliban seized power. I still remember every moment of those bitter days when Kabul collapsed and everything fell apart. On that dark day, thousands of people, like me, were running in panic in every direction. Women, men, and children, their faces distressed and terrified, fled the streets to take shelter in their homes.
That day, I was at a language training center. Upon hearing the grim news of the takeover, I left the class and headed home. Along the way, a heavy sense of fear weighed on me—especially when I reached the vicinity of District 13 Security Zone and saw the scale of the terror. My despair deepened; I did not know where to go. It felt as if I had lost my way. From every direction came the shouts of people: “Go back to your homes, the Taliban have taken Kabul.”
From that day on, smiles vanished from people’s faces, and joy gave way to sorrow and hopelessness. Every day brought heartbreaking news and unbelievable events: from the closure of schools and universities to the killing of innocent people. But the most painful of all was the stripping away of women’s freedoms and their forced confinement at home. Women were banned from all forms of social activity, and even the most private aspects of their lives were interfered with.
Under these extremely harsh restrictions, I and a group of women decided to break the silence and protest against the Taliban. In the streets of Kabul, we cried out for justice and demanded the restoration of women’s lost rights. These protests went on for months, during which we endured many hardships: repression, humiliation, insults, torture, and imprisonment. They tried to force us into silence by threatening to kill us and our families.
Eventually, under the pressure of threats and severe psychological abuse, protesting women were compelled, one after another, to leave the country. Everyone scattered in different directions: some sought refuge in Iran, others in Pakistan. Over these years of displacement and exile, we have endured countless hardships; yet, even in exile, our voices of protest have not been silenced—because every day we witness new Taliban restrictions on women, and we continue to speak out against them.
This group has even taken away women’s right to speak and look freely, declaring that women should see the world with only one eye. The Taliban have turned Afghanistan into a vast prison—not only for women but for all its people. The lack of jobs and security has forced many into both legal and illegal migration. In exile, we face various forms of discrimination and mistreatment. I myself have been insulted and humiliated multiple times simply for being a citizen of Afghanistan. These sufferings are so heavy they burn through to one’s very bones.
But for how long must we remain displaced and in flight? We have neither peace in our own country nor foreign lands. Now, those whose lives were in danger and who were returned from neighboring countries have been arrested, tortured, and killed by the Taliban, as this group seeks vengeance and spares no one. They arrest and imprison women on baseless charges and eliminate former soldiers after identifying them; there is no such thing as a general amnesty.
I hope that one day our country will be freed from the grip of the Taliban, that women will regain their rights, and that all of us will return to our homeland.
You can read the Persian version of this woman’s story here:
