Former jihadi leader Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf has described the Taliban’s treatment of women in Afghanistan, including their arrest and imprisonment, as unlawful and shameful.
On Tuesday (5 Aqrab), Sayyaf wrote on his Facebook page that the Taliban should not arrest or harass women who, according to him, are not their mahrams (women with whom marriage is permissible under Islamic law). Referring to the arrest and public beating of women, he said such actions were disgraceful, shameful, and unacceptable.
Addressing the Taliban, he also wrote: “Do not take women to your filthy and corrupt prisons.”
The Taliban have not yet commented on Sayyaf’s remarks.
Since returning to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban have imposed widespread restrictions on women’s access to education, employment, and social life. In recent months, reports have also emerged of women being arrested and imprisoned for allegedly failing to comply with hijab regulations.
In this regard, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) previously stated that it had verified the arrest or detention by the Taliban of approximately 52 women and one girl in Kabul and Herat between July and September of the current year.
According to published findings, the Taliban have arbitrarily arrested 2,930 people across Afghanistan since their return to power. Those reportedly targeted include women, human rights activists, journalists, protesters, former government security and military personnel, and religious minorities.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
