Following the recent arrest of two women’s rights activists by the de facto administration in the past ten days, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and numerous civic activists have urged the immediate release of these detained women.
UNAMA, in a statement released on Friday, demanded that the Taliban administration put an end to arbitrary detentions. They have consistently emphasized that the Taliban de facto authorities should ensure detainees have access to medication and family visits.
It should be noted that the intelligence forces of the Taliban administration recently arrested Julia Parsi, one of the female protesters, along with her son on Wednesday. This happened shortly after Neda Parwani, with her child, was detained about ten days ago.
These human rights organizations have widely condemned arrests. UNAMA’s office has stated that these detentions are taking place while Rasoul Parsi, a university professor, Mortaza Behboudi, a photographer, and Matiullah Wesa, an education rights activist, remain imprisoned by the interim government.
On the other hand, Richard Bennett, the UN Human Rights Reporter in Afghanistan, has referred to these arrests as arbitrary and has called for the immediate release of the detainees.
Previously, Amnesty International had stated that Julia Parsi and other detainees should be released unconditionally.
A group of women protesters in Islamabad, Pakistan, also demanded the immediate release of Julia Parsi in a collective protest.
In response to the arrest of Julia and Neda, women protesters launched a campaign for their release. They called on the international community and human rights organizations to take action for the freedom and safety of women in Afghanistan.
It should be noted that over the past two years, dozens of cases of detention, torture, and mistreatment of female protesters have been reported, leading to the disappearance of many women’s rights activists.
Monisa Mubariz, a women’s rights activist and influential figure in the women’s protests, expressed concerns about Julia’s well-being in Taliban custody.
Mobariz emphasized, “We are very concerned about Julia’s life,” as the Taliban does not confirm Julia’s detention and does not accept responsibility for any harm that may come to her.
Julia is the founder of the grassroots women’s protest movement in Afghanistan, one of the leaders of the Alliance of Protest Movements, and the founder of a women’s library. Her arrest has raised serious concerns among the protesters.
Mobariz was questioned about the potential for Julia’s arrest to trigger further detentions of female protesters in Afghanistan and whether the leaders of the Alliance of Protest Movements have taken measures to ensure the safety of female protesters in the aftermath of Julia’s arrest.
Ms Mobariz responded that Julia had been under surveillance for some time and had recently stopped using her mobile phone. She changed her residence in Kabul about ten days ago.
She also added that there is no capacity to relocate female protesters within the country, and human rights organizations have not provided any assistance.
According to her, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has repeatedly rejected requests for a “safe house” to protect female protesters from existing threats.
