An Afghan national, Majeed Sadat, alleges that his sister, Marina Sadat, was killed last year by the Taliban for not adhering to their strict hijab regulations. He also claims that his parents have been imprisoned by the Taliban.
According to Sadat, Marina was arrested by the Taliban on December 19, 2023, on her way to university for allegedly not wearing the Taliban-defined hijab. After 22 days, her body was returned to the family.
“It has been nine months since Marina’s arrest and death, but it has been seven months since my parents were arrested, and we still do not know where they are being held. I request the release of my parents. We ask the United Nations and human rights organizations to support us,” he said.
The Taliban has not commented on the issue. However, on Thursday, the Taliban’s intelligence chief denied any instances of “torture or beatings” in Taliban-run prisons.
Women’s rights activists have repeatedly expressed concerns about the conditions of prisoners in Taliban custody. “We have witnessed the imprisonment of hundreds of women’s rights activists, journalists, and former military personnel by the Taliban in Afghanistan, who unfortunately are still in Taliban prisons. They are facing all kinds of torture by the Taliban in these prisons,” said Fatima Sadat, a women’s rights activist. “Therefore, we call on the UN and human rights organizations not to remain silent against the Taliban’s crimes and to demand the immediate release of innocent prisoners.”
The Taliban’s prison administration previously reported that 16,000 people, including more than 1,000 women, were imprisoned in Taliban jails. However, the Purple Saturday Movement, a women’s protest group, claims that the number of women imprisoned by the Taliban exceeds 2,000, significantly higher than the official figures.
Human rights organizations as well as the UN special rapporteur for human rights have documented the arbitrary arrests of journalists, activists, and women protesters by the Taliban throughout their rule in Afghanistan.
