Zarghona

Afghan Witness changed the name of the individual interviewed.

Zarghona - not her real name - is a former journalist and women's rights activist. Fearing her safety after the Taliban's takeover, Zarghona left her home in Kabul and went into hiding in a remote village.

Zarghona tells Afghan Witness (AW) that in the past 20 years, the women of Afghanistan have experienced many societal changes, such as gaining access to education and work, with some women employed in key positions within the former Government of Afghanistan.

However, this is no longer the case, she says.

"Since the Taliban's Emirate came to power by force, women live in an ambiguous, complex and fearful situation."

The Taliban entered Kabul on August 15, 2021, and just two days later, women campaigners began protesting for their rights and freedoms.

During the Taliban's first stint in power between 1996 and 2001, the group notoriously imposed harsh restrictions on women and girls. Women were unable to leave the house without a male guardian, girls couldn’t go to school after seventh grade, and women were required to wear the blue burqa, known in Afghanistan as ‘Chadari’.

The Taliban claimed they would be more moderate this time around, but since returning to power, while not explicitly banning females from working, they have continued to eliminate women from workplaces, making exceptions for some essential roles such as healthcare staff.

"When I returned [to work] after the Taliban's takeover, the Taliban told me that I am not allowed to go in unless there is a decree from the Taliban's leadership - we no longer have salaries," Zarghona tells AW.

Many of Zarghona’s journalist friends have also lost their jobs. A former New York Times reporter from Afghanistan, Fatima Faizi, tweeted that 979 women worked as journalists before the Taliban takeover, but more than 75% have lost their jobs.

Women’s rights campaigners have continued to protest despite a quasi-ban on demonstrations.

"It was just because of food, work, and freedom that women protested, their stomachs were empty, their pockets were empty, and their freedom was taken away from them,” Zarghona says.

However, activists and organisations remain fearful after several prominent female activists were recently detained.

"No human rights activist is safe now,” Zarghona says. “Every time women stood against them, they were beaten and detained by the Taliban.”

Zarghona alleges that she too experienced force at a recent demonstration.

“I was also beaten, and they took my phone - what right do they have to take my phone? I left my phone and ran away from them."

Zarghona says the Taliban searched for her after the protest, but she had fled by the time they found her house, so they detained her brother and father instead. She says that after beating and questioning her father, her family told the Taliban that Zarghona had left Afghanistan.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid recently told AFP that the authorities had the right “to arrest and detain dissidents or those who break the law”, though the de facto Taliban authorities have also denied targeted reprisals and claim that reports of violence and disappearances will be investigated.

AW recently spoke to female activists who alleged that the Taliban instructed detainees not to speak to the media. One of the women activists told AW that she had to change her whereabouts and SIM card as she had received threatening messages from unknown numbers.

Like many other women campaigners in the country, Zarghona is still in Afghanistan, but is living in hiding until she finds a way out.

"Only a few people were evacuated, but many activists, journalists and human rights defenders are still trapped, being hunted by the Taliban one by one. Where should we go?” says Zarghona desperately.

“No one has helped me so far, and I don't have anyone to help me leave the country so I can feel safe."