Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI / AFP
Shot over the weekend, the videos paint a picture of a protest mounted by Afghan women before they were violently stopped by the Taliban with their rifles and tear gas. Ever since the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15, women in the country have been concerned about their rights under the Islamic fundamentalist group. On Friday, September 3, the first round of protests resulted in the person filming the demonstration getting beaten up. When the women returned on Saturday, in bigger numbers, it was no longer just those with cameras who were targeted.“On the first day of the protests, the number of women was less, probably due to fear,” Sharbat, a 30-year-old protester told VICE World News. She estimated about 20 attendees. That number, she said, more than doubled to around 50 the next day. “The number increased and more women found the guts to join us. On the second day, they [the Taliban] were more violent and even used tear gas on us.”The third video is quieter. It simply shows a woman wearing a black hijab, looking forlorn, sitting on a chair. There is blood dripping from the top of the right side of her head down to her cheek.
Tamra, 26, who also attended the protests, said the Taliban had pointed their rifles towards them, but did not shoot. She knew that taking to the street would be a huge risk. The Taliban after all was “bloodthirsty,” she said, the same group that “killed and massacred our compatriots, and oppressed innocent women and children,” but even then, she said she came to the protests in Kabul even if it could cost her her life.“The violation of our rights, our elimination and being ignored in society caused us to put aside our fear. Even if we are killed, we must raise our voice for justice,” she said.The Taliban maintains the protests got out of control. Enamullah Samangani, a member of Taliban's Cultural Commission, said in an interview that the incident was a “minor issue,” and reiterated that “it's not in our policy to hurt women.” In previous statements, Samangani has insisted that Afghan women have no reason to be afraid and that their rights will be respected, as the group attempts to show Afghans and the international community that they are less extreme than they were when they last ruled Afghanistan 20 years ago.“Some were bleeding. We took them to the hospital and they are well now, but they are emotionally hurt and sustained mental pain that cannot be forgotten until death,” she said.
The women had hoped they would be able to speak to a Taliban representative. Their demands, Tamra said, are simple: just basic citizenship rights. Like men, they want to maintain their right to work; education; freedom; political, social, economic, cultural participation; and presence in the cabinet and high government positions. The protests from the weekend follow at least three other earlier all-women’s protests across Afghanistan in the capital and Herat, since the Taliban took power. The most recent demonstrations were the only ones reported to have resulted in violence, reflective of the mixed messages the Taliban have been sending regarding women over the past weeks. “Our protest was a civil protest. The Taliban claimed they are changed and will allow women their rights, and we wanted to see whether the Taliban would keep their promises,” said Sharbat, who was a former government employee. “But we witnessed the Taliban have not changed.”The violence appears to have left a mark.As reality sinks in of what life could be under the Taliban, Sharbat said they “won’t let our voices remain unheard,” but said they “will continue our fight through social networks and media.” She also pleaded for more support both domestically and internationally.“We decided that silence and hiding in the home is not the solution,” Tamra, who used to work for a French-funded company said. “We wanted to raise our voices against injustice and their willingness to waste and forget half of society. These injustices and forgetting of women led us to protest.”
She also asked world leaders not to recognise the Taliban as a legitimate government until the group has recognised their rights. “The Taliban show they behave well with people only to attract financial aid, to unfreeze their money and receive foreign help, but we can see they are not changed and they are still against women which we proved in our protest.” Tamra said this support is a matter of life or death for “the oppressed and forgotten women of Afghanistan.”“If you do not support us, the Taliban will not respond to our demands,” she said. “Sooner or later, they will shoot us.”Names have been changed for their protection.Follow Natashya on Twitter.“We request our Afghan men also to join us. Unfortunately not only did the men not help us, but they even stood against us on social media and insulted us with bad words,” she said.