We See You. We Hear You. We Stand With You.

To the women and girls of Herat, and to all those who took to the streets knowing what it would cost them:

We see you. We hear you. We will not look away.

In the first weeks of June 2026, Taliban forces abducted dozens of women and girls from the streets, markets, and public spaces of Herat, Afghanistan, many of them wearing clothing that met even the Taliban’s own stated requirements. When residents took to the streets in protest, they were met with gunfire, beatings, and mass abductions. A child was killed. At least one child was killed, and more than 20 people were injured. At least 17 protesters were seized and disappeared.  Phones have been inspected. Hospitals have been raided for the wounded. Vloggers and community leaders have been threatened into silence. And still, on June 12, a group of young people gathered on the streets of Herat again and chanted: Education, Work, Freedom. 

We know what that courage costs. 

This is not a hijab crackdown. This is a systematic campaign to erase women from public life, and the international community must treat it as such.

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, stand in full solidarity with the women and girls of Herat and with all Afghan women and girls living under Taliban rule. We call on the international community to:

• Press the Taliban to immediately and unconditionally release all those abducted during the Herat crackdown and protests;
• Demand the Taliban disclose the whereabouts of all those who have disappeared;
• Refuse to recognize, normalize, or legitimize Taliban rule;
• Provide urgent protection pathways for Afghan women human rights defenders and protesters at risk;
• Amplify Afghan women’s voices as the political leaders and rights defenders they are. Afghan women have been leading the resistance against Taliban rule since 2021, yet they remain systematically excluded from international negotiations, peace processes, and decisions that determine their own futures. Engage with them as leaders, not as symbols.

To the women of Herat: your resistance is seen across the world. Your courage is not futile. We stand with you,  not only in words, but in sustained action, political pressure, and the refusal to move on.

تحصیل، کار، آزادی – Education, Work, Freedom 

Organizational Signatories:

1. Afghan Women Education and Vocational Services Organizations
2. Afghan Women’s Network International
3. Anty Charity
4. AWOE
5. banat off line
6. Bent el nil
7. Bihryait
8. Caesar Families Association
9. Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance (CEWLA)
10. Collaborative for Peace
11. Collaborative for Peace in Sudan
12. FARAGEER
13. Iniciativa Mesoamericana de Mujeres Defensoras de Derechos Humanos
14. International Action Network for Gender Equity & Law (IANGEL)
15. International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
16. New Woman Foundation
17. Qarar Foundation For Media and Development
18. Sudanese Women’s Health Organization
19. Syrian Female Journalists Network (SFJN)
20. Syrian Feminist Lobby
21. The Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in South West Asia and North Africa (WHRDMENA)
22. Tulip Organization for Women’s Support
23. Warsheh Team
24. WILPF
25. Wing Woman Lebanon
26. Women and children Research Advocacy Network
27. Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRDIC)
28. WOMEN IN BLACK AGAINST WAR – BELGRADE
29. Women’s Initiative for Sustainable Peace
30. Women’s International Peace Centre
31. Women’s Motion Network
32. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)

Individual Signatories:

1. Karima Bennoune, Lewis M. Simes Professor of Law, Former UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights
2. Sara Sheykhali, PhD Researcher
3. Forozan Amiri, Activist
4. Suhair Mahdi Executive Director, Human Security Initiative
5. Wazhma Frogh, Woman Peacebuilder
6. Selma Campara, Program Coordinator
7. Haruna Abubakar, Program and Admin Officer, Baobab for Women’s Human Rights
8. Joudy Halak Member , Caesar Families Association
9. Rasha Altabshi, Journalist
10. Hind Hamdan, Gender and Labor Rights Specialist, Feminist Activist
11. Sofia Ramyar, Activist
12. Entesar Al_hadali
13. Ruth Hall
14. Amal Charif
15. Soha Al.