By Somaia Valizadeh
Taliban Abuses Imprisoned Women’s and Human Rights Defenders with Humiliating Photos and Videos
The Taliban is taking semi-naked and naked photos and videos of imprisoned women who are vocal human rights defenders. These acts constitute grave human rights violations and highlight the urgent need for international intervention to protect the dignity and rights of Afghan women.
Women’s rights defender Neda Parwani, a key figure in the Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women, was arrested with her husband and infant son in Kabul on 19 September 2023 and released three months later on December 14th. Parwani revealed in a conversation with Kite Runner that she is worried about the possibility of a video being published by the Taliban. She claims that the Taliban recorded a video of her naked body during interrogation before her release from prison, and that this is still a mental torture even after her release.
Parwani was taken into custody by Taliban fighters from her residence in the Khairkhana area of Kabul. Throughout her detention, the Taliban officials have neither commented on her arrest nor addressed the allegations made against them. Additionally, Neda Parwani and her infant child in the Taliban prison were not provided with access to sanitary facilities. The son has been weakened due to a lack of nutrition, especially milk.
Humiliating interrogations were used systematically to make Parwani confess that she was manipulated by foreign Powers. The absence of Pampers and milk for her child, the separation from her husband in detention with no knowledge about him being dead or alive exposed the Women’s Rights defender to mental torture. For three months, Neda was not allowed to change clothes or take a shower in the Taliban prison. Furthermore, she was denied the visitation of her family in the Taliban prison.
She says, “The Taliban released me and my husband under the guarantee that they got from my father and my father-in-law, that we would not further protest the Taliban.” After four months of being prohibited from leaving, she obtained a medical visa from Pakistan and departed Afghanistan with her family. “Whenever my son sees a man with Turban he still reacts frantic” she underlines.
Neda Parwani is an Afghan human rights activist and women’s rights advocate. She is known for her efforts to promote gender equality and defend the rights of women in Afghanistan. Her work involves addressing issues such as access to education, employment opportunities, and participation in public life for women. Parwani has been vocal about the challenges Afghan women face, especially under the Taliban regime, and has worked to get international attention to these issues. Together with other activists they took the risk to demonstrate against the excluysion of women from public life. Even though there are dangers, Parwani and others kept fighting for Afghan women’s rights and dignity, even if it means personal losses.
Neda Parwani was detained by the Taliban for her activism and vocal stance on women’s rights and human rights in Afghanistan. The Taliban regime views individuals who advocate for gender equality, criticize the government’s policies, or promote human rights as threats to the regime’s authority and ideological beliefs.
Activists like Parwani are targeted because their work directly challenges the restrictive and oppressive measures imposed by the Taliban, especially those related to women’s rights. The Taliban aims to suppress dissent by detaining and intimidating activists, and to stifle any efforts to promote equality and justice.
Neda Parwani says, “After they arrested me and my husband, the Taliban stormed our house and took all my gold and money and broke my dishes.” Neda also insists that the Taliban murdered her brother and uncle’s children, who were 18 and 20 years old. Parwani states that in April 2023, her husband was detained for a week by the Taliban because she did not wear hijab. According to Neda Parwani, most human rights defenders who are arrested against the oppressive Taliban regime are trapped by the Taliban intelligence based on information from the representatives of the regions.
Neda is currently confronted with numerous challenges in Pakistan, including the extension of her visa and an uncertain future. She graduated from dentistry, and besides civil protests against the gender apartheid of the Taliban, she has been a presenter in the local media of Afghanistan.
Maleka Rasooly, one of the former employees of the Afghan Human Rights Commission in Germany, believes that the recording of videos and pictures with naked and semi-naked bodies of human rights activists in the Taliban prison is a clear violation of human rights.
Rasooly explained that these actions have a profound psychological impact on victims, leading to trauma, fear, and a sense of helplessness. The threat of publicizing such images can deter women from participating in public life or advocating for their rights.
She pleaded for the safeguarding of human rights in Afghanistan and emphasized that various rights groups should document these violations and assist the afflicted.
Since the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, there have been numerous reports of increased repression against women and human rights activists. The group’s actions have encompassed the restriction of women’s mobility, access to education, and employment, as well as targeting individuals who express their dissatisfaction with these injustices.
