Taliban fighters fired weapons and tore up banners as they broke up a rare demonstration in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Saturday (Aug 13).
The women’s rally met just days before the first anniversary of the Islamist hardliners’ seizure of power, and saw some 40 women march in front of the Education Ministry building.
Women paraded with banners and placards, some reading “August 15 is a black day” before being dispersed by Taliban fighters who fired their weapons into the air.
The women paraded with banners, some without the facial veils that they have been told, and heels
The women’s rally met just days before the first anniversary of the Islamist hardliners’ takeover.
The women chanted ‘Bred, work and freedom’ and shouted, ‘Justice, justice. We are fed up with ignorance
Protesters walked down the street in front of the Ministry of Education building to show their anger at the restrictions imposed particularly on women.
Taliban fighters reportedly fired into the air to disperse the protesters.
Video footage showed some of the protesters marching through the streets.
Some protesters refused to wear face veils and wore heels in a bid to oppose the reversal of many of the gains made by women in the two decades of US intervention in the country before the Taliban once again took control.
The women chanted ‘bread, work and freedom’ and shouted ‘Justice, justice’. We are fed up with ignorance.
Some protesters reportedly took refuge in nearby shops, but Taliban soldiers chased them down and beat them with their rifle butts.
Some images shared on social media showed women running away as gunshots were heard in the background, with the woman filming the scene repeating, “I’m not afraid.”
Another clip shows a group of women standing together and talking to the camera from inside. According to the tweets, one says: ‘We protested today, but the Taliban shot at us.
‘They put us in a pharmacy and they don’t let us go.’
And in another, women can be seen marching down the street, chanting and raising fists and banners.
One of the organizers of the march said the Taliban ripped up their banners and confiscated phones as they dispersed the march.
Some protesters reportedly took refuge in nearby shops, but Taliban soldiers chased them down and beat them with their rifle butts.
The women were dispersed by Taliban fighters, who they say tore up their banners and mobile phones.
Many restrictions have been reintroduced in the last year, particularly on women, to comply with the Taliban movement’s view of Islam.
In one video, women are seen running away as shots are fired into the air.
“Unfortunately, the Taliban from the intelligence service came and fired into the air,” said Zholia Parsi.
“They dispersed the girls, tore up our banners, and confiscated many girls’ mobile phones.”
Taliban fighters reportedly also beat some journalists covering the protest.
Many restrictions have been reintroduced in the last year, particularly on women, to comply with the Taliban movement’s view of Islam.
Tens of thousands of girls have been excluded from secondary schools and women have been prevented from returning to many government jobs.
Women have also been banned from traveling alone on long trips and are only allowed to visit the capital’s public gardens and parks on separate days from men.
Earlier this year, the country’s supreme leader and Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered women to fully cover themselves in public, including their faces.
The United Nations and human rights groups repeatedly criticized the Taliban government for imposing the restrictions.
Tens of thousands of girls have been excluded from secondary schools and women have been barred from returning to many government jobs.
Women have also been banned from traveling alone on long trips and are only allowed to visit the capital’s public gardens and parks on separate days from men.
Protesters were forced to flee and take shelter in nearby shops as Taliban fighters descended to break up the demonstration.
The rally was held on Saturday (Aug 13), just two days before the first anniversary of the Taliban’s seizure of power.
Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, told reporters that the policies show a “pattern of absolute gender segregation and aim to make women invisible in society” during a visit to Kabul in May. .
Initially, some Afghan women rejected the restrictions in small protests. But the ringleaders were soon arrested and held incommunicado, denying that they had been detained.
The takeover of the country paved the way for the collapse of the economy and the freezing of Afghan and donor funds, creating a humanitarian crisis.
In the months since the inauguration, most art, culture and hobbies have also been banned.
