Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Afghanistan has been hit by one of the most severe and unprecedented human rights crises in the region, especially with respect to women’s rights. The Taliban, who refer to their political regime as the “Islamic Emirate” and their leader as the “Caliph” or “Emir,” have passed more than 129 decrees targeting citizens’ rights and freedoms. These restrictions disproportionately focus on women, depriving them of the right to formal education, employment, economic participation, and other fundamental human rights. In one of their most shocking moves aimed at marginalizing and dehumanizing women, the Taliban enacted the so-called “Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice Law.” Banning women’s voices by labeling it as “Awrat,” or a sexual organ, nakedness, signifying weakness and defectiveness, this regressive law also requires that women be accompanied by a male family member (a “mahram”) whenever they leave the house and mandates full coverage of their bodies from head to toe.
Taliban’s legal and political framework considers Afghans as the “ummah” of an “Islamic caliphate” and those who oppose the regime’s decrees, regardless of motive, are labeled “beghavat-gar” (rebel) against the Muslim caliph or Taliban leader. Therefore, any kind of civil or political activism is interpreted to be a criminal act, often punishable with harsh penalties under the Taliban’s extreme interpretation of Islamic law. Meanwhile, in the Taliban’s fundamentalist religious view, women are restricted to childbearing and managing household affairs – narrowly confined to the roles of “mother” and “wife.” Any expression of femininity outside the confines of the home or in public spaces—especially in political or social contexts—is considered a violation of the Taliban’s principles and social norms. Under this framework, independent femininity is regarded as inherently criminal.
Afghan women, including women human rights defenders, women’s rights activists, civil servants, journalists, female politicians, and students, have openly protested against the Taliban regime’s discriminatory laws and policies since they regained power. From the earliest days, women staged continuous and widespread demonstrations, bringing dozens of young women onto the streets. The extensive protests, occurring both on the streets and across online platforms, alarmed the Taliban. In response, the regime turned to violence and persecution to suppress dissent, arresting leaders and participants of women’s protest groups on the streets, in private homes, and even in women’s “safe houses” where protesters sought refuge. Consequently, dozens of women protesters, human rights defenders, and activists have been detained and imprisoned. Testimonies from released detainees reveal the harsh conditions they endured, including severe physical and psychological torture inflicted on both the protesters and, in some cases, their accompanying children.
Through a series of audio interviews with twelve Afghan women human rights defenders, Femena has documented their experiences of detention and imprisonment in Taliban detention centers and prisons. The interviewees, aged between 25 and 40, represent diverse ethnic groups and come from different provinces across Afghanistan. They were arrested between 2021 and 2023 for their civil activism and protests against the Taliban regime’s anti-women policies, primarily in Kabul. Each woman has endured varying lengths of detention and imprisonment. According to their accounts, the Taliban regime has employed its full capacity for violence to punish, intimidate, and torture these women in its detention centers and prisons.
This report, presented in seven parts, explores the detailed accounts of women human rights defenders (WHRDs) regarding their experiences of detention and imprisonment under the Taliban.