A number of Afghan Women Movement protesters in Kabul said that they are wanted by the Taliban and are being searched for by the group’s security institutions.
They stated that the phones of several leading protesters had been switched off and that there has been no information on the whereabouts of these women.
One protester pointed out that the Taliban respond to any sort of protest with threats, repressive orders, beatings and arrests.
Silsila Mohammad, who recently protested against the Taliban’s decision to ban women from universities, said that she is wanted by the Taliban security agencies and that she cannot go out on the streets of the city.
She stated that the Taliban opened fire on female protesters and beat them up during last week’s demonstration in Kabul and, “their whole bodies were bruised but we managed to escape.”
She added that the protesters carried banners and chanted slogans such as “people with dignity, support, support” and “education, work, freedom.”
Mohammadi said that now she is on the Taliban’s wanted list and she has had to change her location four times because of threats.
Mahjoba Habibi, another protester, said that most female protesters have received threats via phone calls. She added that the phones of the leading protesters have been switched off following the threats.
The Taliban-run ministry of higher education on Tuesday suspended university education for Afghan women, which drew worldwide condemnation.
In response, a number of women, including female students from universities, held protests in Kabul, Herat, and Takhar provinces. The Taliban responded to the protests with brute force, and used water cannons, while several protesters, including activist Ruqiya Saee, are still in the Taliban’s custody.
On Thursday, dozens of Afghan women staged a protest in the capital Kabul. At least five women were arrested by the Taliban, two of whom are still in custody.
Herat’s protest on Saturday morning was met with “violence” and many protesters were “beaten up” by the Taliban.
“We had no guns, we were not armed, but many armed people were surrounding us,” one protester said on condition of anonymity.
She said “many women were beaten, harshly, some by whipping and others by guns,” to disperse the protest.
Another woman, who did not want to give her name, said female protesters were chased, even down alleys in the city.
Meanwhile, dozens of male students in southern Kandahar province boycotted exams in protest against the Taliban’s decision to ban their female classmates from universities.
A university official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the students refused to sit the exam at five o’clock on Saturday at the university in protest over the Taliban’s decision. He said the Taliban responded by opening fire and beating up several students.
According to the source, the Taliban opened fire after the students had walked out of the exam venue.
“Brother! Our students were not protesting, but they just left the exam venue in response to the suspension of girls’ education and wanted to go back home, but the intelligence [forces] of the Taliban began beating up the students,” he added.
