The disappearance of women activists protesting for their fundamental rights under the Taliban regime has created an international furor. Parwana Ibrahim Khil, Tamana Paryani, Mursal Ayar, and Dr. Zahra Mohammadi are the women activists who have disappeared. Nearly three weeks after the 16 January protests, there is still no news about their whereabouts and well-being.
Parwana Ibrahim Khil and Tamana Paryani who took part in protests against the Taliban were abducted on 19 January, along with their relatives. Last week, Mursal Ayar was taken from her house on 2 February, and Dr. Zahra Mohammadi was abducted outside her medical clinic on 3 February.
The Taliban has arrested several women and their families for taking part in earlier protests against the ‘Hijab rule’. A number of Afghan women have said that the Taliban asks women not to attend protests after releasing them.
The European Union, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, and UNAMA have communicated serious concern over the fate of Afghan women activists. The United Nations Secretary General’s envoy for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, expressed serious concerns about the safety of the women under the Taliban. The EU’s special representative for Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, said the disappearance of citizens contradicts the Taliban’s commitments to protecting human rights.
The Taliban claims that their ‘interim government’ is owned by the people but continues to arbitrarily detain citizens. Arbitrary detention of citizens and disappearances contradict the Taliban’s promise to uphold human rights when they came to power.
Aayush Pal 
Balaji Subramanian