Arrests of Women, Restrictions, and Phone Searches in Kabul; Harsh International Reactions to the Taliban

No girl or woman is allowed to leave the house without the companionship of a male relative such as a father or brother. She insists that even in necessary situations, her brother does not accompany her, and as a result, she is deeply concerned about how she will be able to meet her personal and essential needs.

Meanwhile, Forozan (pseudonym), a resident of Dasht-e-Barchi, says that yesterday the Taliban stopped men in several areas of this region, especially in the West Market area, and checked their phones. She adds: „I was watching from the rooftop. When the Taliban left, I asked the boys what they were checking. They said the Taliban opened and checked all folders in their phones. I must mention that phone checks by the Taliban are nothing new; in recent times, my brother’s phone has been checked several times.“

The arrest of girls and women by the Taliban in Kabul has raised widespread concern among human rights organizations. UN experts, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), and several women’s rights organizations have expressed deep concern over these arrests and emphasized that the Taliban are implementing gender apartheid in a clear and severe form through these actions.

In the latest case, the Afghanistan Human Rights Center issued a statement expressing concern about the health and mental state of detained women and girls and strongly condemned their arrest on the charge of “improper hijab.” The organization warned that the Taliban have a history of systematic oppression of women, sexual assault, and violations of human dignity, and now the health and psychological condition of the detained girls is seriously at risk.

This center has called on the UN Human Rights Council and its special rapporteur in Afghanistan to take urgent and effective measures to prevent arbitrary detentions of women and girls. It has also called on UN member states to officially recognize the Taliban’s treatment of women as a „crime against humanity“ and to condemn it formally. Furthermore, the center stressed that the International Criminal Court should issue arrest and prosecution orders for officials of the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

Meanwhile, women’s rights activist and singer Aryana Sayeed, in a video message, called on all Afghan men to unite more than ever in support of the country’s women and girls. She referred to the deteriorating situation of returnees and said that hundreds of thousands of helpless women are living in complete uncertainty and that millions of girls have been deprived of education. Aryana Sayeed also emphasized: „Instead of solving people’s problems, the Taliban are busy every day harassing girls and arresting them in various ways.“

Previously, sources in Kabul had confirmed that the Taliban had intensified the process of arresting women and girls on charges of “inappropriate clothing.” According to sources, girls are being arrested on baseless charges and transferred to unknown locations.