Women of the war-torn nation Afghanistan have been protesting against the all-male interim government of the nation. Taliban fighters reportedly used whips against them to restrict any resistance to its rule. There were videos and images received from a protest site in Kabul on Wednesday which showed the Taliban militants whipping women to break the protest.
Afghan women came together in the capital Kabul on Wednesday to mark a bold challenge to the Taliban rule. While this was the largest such protest since the militants assumed power, the experts believe that this brutality was about sending a message on how things will be under the new regime.
Multiple journalists have also reported having been assaulted in a similar manner.
@nabihbulos and myself were just accosted by Taliban fighters at Karte 4 while covering the women’s protest. They said Zabihullah Mujahid, the Talib spox, said that covering these protests were illegal. One of them even said it was forbidden in Islam to take picture of women.
— Marcus Yam 文火 (@yamphoto) September 8, 2021
Notably, the Taliban had promised to put on a “moderate” face this time, with the new rulers vowing to respect women’s rights in accordance with Islamic law. However, with the announcement of a new hardline regime, reports suggest that the Taliban have gone back to their usual ways.
A video shared by Afghan journalist Zahra Rahimi, a correspondent for Tolo News, on Twitter also showed a Taliban fighter ferociously cracking a whip against a woman present at the protest. The clip was shared multiple times on the social media platform by public personalities, who pointed out that the new Taliban regime was just as “barbaric” as the previous one and that all the promises of a ‘moderate’ regime were just a sham.
Notably, the United Nations warned on Wednesday that the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the subsequent position of the new rulers on women’s rights have generated fear across the country. Alison Davidian, a senior UN official made a statement that the lack of clarity of the Taliban’s position on women’s rights has generated incredible fear.
The UN official said that women are being forced to stop working and also being prevented from leaving their homes without a male relative. She further said that protection centers for women fleeing violence and safe houses for women’s rights activists, already at a full capacity, are also being targeted.
