On Tuesday, a dozen Afghan women marched in Kabul to denounce the “international community’s silence” on the political, social and economic situation in Afghanistan, as Taliban forces block media coverage of the protest.
The protesters introduced themselves as members of the Spontaneous Women’s Movement in Afghanistan and held up posters that read: “Why does the world allow us to die in silence?”, “The right to education” and “The right to work”.
“Every day poverty brings suffering, our children die, men are out of work. They commit suicide and the world remains silent, ”said Husna Saddat, one of the protesters who attended the protest.
“For what reason and for how long should we be in captivity at home? Why doesn’t anyone understand us? Why are women not allowed to be active in our society? “
The demonstration, which was supposed to take place near the UN mission in Afghanistan (Unama), was directed to the entrance to the former “green zone”, where the buildings of international embassies are located, abandoned after the Taliban came to power.
“We demand from the UN Secretary General to support our rights, education and work (…) we are currently deprived of everything,” Wahid Amiri, one of the organizers of the protest, told Agence France Press.
At a time when demonstrations have been banned by the Taliban and have been brutally suppressed since the founding of the self-proclaimed Islamic Emirate, Amiri says women “just want to demonstrate peacefully.”
Taliban guards at the scene ordered the protesters to be dispersed and did not allow journalists to approach the demonstration. A dozen Taliban guards reinforced the original contingent and prevented journalists from pursuing their profession by confiscating a cell phone from a local reporter filming the protest.
Women’s demonstrations in Kabul have increased in recent weeks.
Last Thursday, 20 Afghan women were allowed to hold an hour and a half parade in the center of the capital, but foreign journalists struggled to get close to the protesters during the protest.
