Afghanistan

Osmany: “Afghan women are prepared to pay the highest price”

Afghan women’s rights defender Laleh Osmany said the chanting of “Woman, Life, Freedom” during the protests in Herat reflects “a deep, transnational solidarity among women rooted in a shared cultural sphere, as well as their high awareness of their fundamental rights.”

Taliban crackdown on protest in Herat on June 9th, 2026. Photo: 8am Media

In Afghanistan, some residents from the Jibrail area of Herat Province held a protest rally on June 8th. The protests have raised over the ongoing arrests and harsh treatment of women by the Taliban’s Morality Police starting on June 6th. According to local resources, Taliban began to forcefully make women to wear Chadari or burqa and warning that those who do not wear will be imprisoned.

On June 11th, in a second wave of protests, the people of Herat gathered in front of the governor’s office to protest the acts of detention and violence against women, chanting “Death to the Dictator,” “Women, Life, Freedom,” and “Education, Work, Freedom.” Since June 8th, Taliban police had been trying to disperse the crowds by opening fire on the gathered people for days.

Murtaza, a 16-year-old Afghan youth, was wounded by two bullets to his leg during the Taliban police’s crackdown on the protests in Herat and passed away on June 16th. It was reported that at least 20 people were injured as a result of the Taliban police opening fire on the protesters.

Najibullah Ali, the Taliban’s police commander for security affairs in Herat, has announced on June 18th that so far more than 19 women – this number escalated to 30 according to local sources – have been detained by the Taliban’s forces for promoting virtue and preventing vice for what this group calls “failure to observe hijab.” He adds that the detention of women by the forces for promoting virtue and preventing vice in this province will continue.

Protests started in Herat after Taliban police beat women for “improper hijab”

Afghan women’s rights defender Laleh Osmany spoke about the wave of women-led protests in Herat and the systematic repression women face under Taliban rule.

Laleh Osmany

“A strategy to erase women from public life”

According to Osmany, violence, terror, arbitrary detention, and public humiliation of women — carried out under the pretext of “inappropriate hijab” or leaving home without a male guardian, or mahram — have become “a structural, daily policy enforced by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and their intelligence agencies.” She noted that Taliban vice units, known as muhtasib, have set up numerous checkpoints across cities specifically to police women’s attire.

“In many cases, young women and girls are arrested without a male guardian present, brutally beaten with cables and whips, and released only after their families are forced to pay heavy ransoms or sign coercive pledges,” Osmany said. She described these practices as part of a calculated, larger campaign:

“These actions are a deliberate part of a broader strategy aimed at the complete eradication of women from the public sphere.”

“Woman, Life, Freedom” echoes through Herat

Osmany said the chanting of “Woman, Life, Freedom” during the Herat protests reflects “a deep, transnational solidarity among women rooted in a shared cultural sphere, as well as their high awareness of their fundamental rights.” She said the city’s history as a center of progressive civil movements: “Herat has historically been a cultural hub and a breeding ground for progressive civil movements in Afghanistan.”

Despite live gunfire, violence, and the threat of imprisonment, Osmany stated the protests demonstrated that women’s will to resist remains alive:

“These protests proved that despite brutal suppression, direct live fire, violence, and imprisonment, the will of women to resist remains alive. The protests in Herat sent a clear message to the world: the roots of Afghan women’s quest for freedom cannot be dried up by decrees of gender segregation and Taliban intimidation, and they are prepared to pay the highest price for their human dignity.”

Underground networks of resistance

Asked whether organized resistance persists despite the risks, Osmany confirmed that Afghan women have built extensive underground and overt networks, structured around three main pillars.

The first, she said, is citizen documentation: “Upon their release, detained women use pseudonyms to expose their experiences of torture and the Taliban’s inhumane treatment across social media and international news outlets.”

The second involves safe houses and underground schools: “Establishing secret home-based schools for girls deprived of education, alongside creating psychological and financial support circles for women who have lost their breadwinners.”

The third pillar, she said, is sustained civil mobilization: “Grassroots groups continuously issue statements and hold protests in closed indoor locations, raising their voices to UN human rights bodies to actively prevent the Taliban from gaining international legitimacy.”

Call from women’s organizations

Numerous calls to action continue to circulate on social media, organized by citizens of Afghanistan abroad, with protests planned in Berlin and many other places.

Members of the Justice-Seeking Women’s Movement, by launching a protest campaign and using the global distress symbol, have expressed concern over the increasing restrictions on women in Herat and urged the international community not to remain silent in the face of this situation on June 18th.

Members of this movement, through a campaign with the slogan “Afghan Women Are in Danger, Join This Campaign”, by darkening the map of Afghanistan on their faces and using the global distress symbol, have called for the international community’s immediate attention to the situation of women in the country.

Source: AWNA, 8AM Media

Protests started in Herat after Taliban police beat women for “improper hijab”

In Herat Province of Afghanistan, protests have occured over the ongoing arrests and beating of women until they fainted, for not wearing “proper hijab, Chadari or burqa”, by Taliban Morality Police. Taliban members shot some of the protesters in Herat.

Women wearing Burqa in Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, some residents from the Jibrail area of Herat Province held a protest rally this morning to protest the detention of women by the Taliban. Sources reported that residents chanting “Education, Work, Freedom” were met with gunfire from Taliban forces.

Afghanistan Women’s News Agency (AWNA) shared that the protest rally was suppressed by Taliban forces, who opened fire on the demonstrators.

The protests have raised over the ongoing arrests and harsh treatment of women by the Taliban’s Morality Police. This treatment of Taliban began on Saturday in various parts of Herat to forcefully make women to wear Chadari or burqa and warning that those who do not wear will be imprisoned.

The Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, formally endorsed a sweeping 119-article criminal regulation framework. Crucially, this regulation decentralized enforcement, effectively legalizing vigilante violence by stating that any citizen who witnesses a perceived “sin” (including improper dress) has a duty to stop it on the spot.

Photo: 8AM Media

According to 8AM Media, Taliban members have been detaining and beating women until they fainted, for wearing manteau coats. Women in Herat are saying that after these events of Taliban members beating women on the streets, the presence of women in public has dropped sharply, since women are afraid of going out even for the groceries.

Taliban shot protesters

Today (June 9th) local sources told 8AM Media reporters that Taliban members fired shots to disperse and suppress the protesters. They also reported that they can continuously hear the sound of ambulances and Taliban ranger vehicles throughout the area. The exact number of casualties remains unclear. In a video on social media, residents carrying wounded individuals away as gunfire is ongoing.

At least four sources told the Afghanistan Women’s News Agency today, Taliban forces checked women’s attire and hijabs at the entrances to these halls before allowing people to enter in several places of Herat.

“’Improper Hijab’ is neither consistent with Islamic values”

Zarifa Ghafari Bashir who is a former female mayor of Maidan Shahr of Afghanistan, told on her X account:

“The Taliban violently cracked down on a peaceful demonstration of residents in Herat’s Jibril area who were protesting the detention of women and girls since last few days in Herat. Videos circulating online show Taliban forces firing shots to disperse the crowd and physically assaulting several protesters. This latest incident reflects the regime’s continued use of violence to silence dissent and suppress those who stand in solidarity with Afghan women.”

Nasir Ahmad Faiq, Afghanistan’s representative at the United Nations, told on his X account that the detention of women by the Taliban’s morality police carried under the pretext of “improper Hijab” is neither consistent with Islamic principles and values nor with the culture and traditions of the Afghan people. “How do Taliban enforcers consider themselves entitled to forcibly detain and transport women in public when they are not even their mahram (stranger/legal guardian)?” he asked, and continued “This comes amid credible and well-documented reports of violence, sexual abuse and rape in Taliban prisons, as well as forced marriages involving Taliban members – cases that have never been transparently investigated nor those responsible held accountable.”

Amnesty: “Every woman has the right to choose what to wear”

Regional Office of Amnesty International South Asia called on the Taliban to immediately disclose the whereabouts of the detained women, ensure their safe return, and end measures that target women because of their clothing:

“Reports of multiple women being arrested by the Taliban in Herat province for not adhering to their restrictive dress code are deeply alarming. It is a stark reminder of the continued crackdown on the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. Every woman has the right to choose what to wear, move freely, participate in public life, and live without fear or intimidation.”

“These arrests are part of Taliban’s gender persecution”

Afghan Women Activist’s Coordinating Body which is a global protection network and diasphora advocacy group, told on their X account that “According to eyewitnesses, photos and video footage received from Herat, Taliban forces arrested women in public spaces simply because their faces were not fully covered. These arrests are not isolated incidents. They are part of the Taliban’s systematic campaign of gender persecution, fear and total control over Afghan women’s bodies, movement and existence.”

Tahera Nasiri, The founder and head of the “Women’s Movement Towards Freedom” stated that “The Taliban are attempting to erase women from public life, making them increasingly vulnerable whenever they leave their homes”. To Nasiri, through systematic restrictions and oppression, Taliban seek to exclude women entirely from society and deny them their fundamental rights and freedoms.

“Shame on those who lobby for this regime or portray the current situation as normal. The reality is that women in Afghanistan continue to face severe discrimination, exclusion, and repression every day” she said.

Resource: 8AM Media, AWNA

Rap against oppression: Five women rappers in Afghanistan

We have translated a report by AWNA (Afghanistan Women’s News Agency) featuring five Afghan female rappers who are raising their voices against misogynistic policies in Afghanistan.

Five female rappers in Afghanistan. Respectively: Sonita Alizadeh, Paradise Sorouri, Ziba Hamidi, Sosan Firoz, and Elina Afghan. Photo: AWNA

The policies of the Taliban administration in Afghanistan restrict women’s right to education, legitimize violence against women, and directly impact their lives through mandatory dress codes and limitations on freedom of movement. Women’s voices are being suppressed not only in physical spaces but also in cultural and artistic production.

Amid this climate of repression, in an Afghan society where male dominance prevails and women are subjected to various forms of violence and pressure, these young women are breaking the silence by raising their voices and expressing their protests through rap music. Most of the people believes that rap music is exclusively for men due to its harsh tone and the movements involved, and they do not consider this style appropriate for young women.

Nevertheless, young women like Sonita Alizadeh, Ziba Hamidi, Elina Afghan, Sosan Firoz, and Paradise Sorouri are successfully using this musical style to voice the unspoken words in defense of women’s rights.

Sonita Alizadeh

Sonita Alizadeh was born in 1996 in the city of Herat, Afghanistan. She spent several years as a refugee in Iran’s Alborz Province. She began composing music, playing the guitar, and singing in 2011 (1391 in the Islamic calendar). In 2014, she stood out among 166 rap artists to win a $1,000 prize. After winning this award, with the support of a charity and a scholarship she received, she was able to continue her education in the Utah, USA.

The themes of the rap songs she performs include Afghanistan, politics, discrimination against Afghan refugees in Iran, and the challenges faced by Afghan women, young girls, and children within Afghanistan’s traditional societal structure.

Ziba Hamidi

Ziba Hamidi was born in 1997 in Karachi, Pakistan. She spent over a decade as a refugee in Iran, where she completed her education. During her time in Iran, she took nearly six months of music training.

Ziba uses rap music to express the pain and sorrow experienced by her people.

Elina Afghan

Elina, who goes by the surname “Afghan,” was born in Mazar-i-Sharif. The 21-year-old artist is a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Political Science at Kabul University. Elina, who has been making rap music for over four years, views the genre as a tool for protest. The artist, who has a total of 15 songs, has performed numerous street shows to voice her concerns and became the first Afghan girl to participate in an art festival held in India in 2016.

The main themes she addresses in her rap songs include: violence against women, orphaned children, street children, street vendors, women’s rights, advocacy, and women’s quest for justice.

Violence against women, orphaned children, street children, and street vendors, as well as women’s rights, advocacy, and human rights activism, are among the topics she addresses in her rap songs. Elina has gained fame for her songs “Woman,” “I’m Not a Prostitute,” “Love,” and “Afghan Girl.”

Soosan Firooz

Soosan Firooz is known as Afghanistan’s first female rap artist. She is a controversial and influential figure who challenges social norms and the traditional roles of Afghan women.

Firooz was born in Afghanistan. Her family fled the country in 1990 and lived in a refugee camp in Iran for seven years during the Afghan Civil War. She then spent three years as a refugee in Pakistan with her family. After the collapse of the Taliban regime, her family returned to Afghanistan and settled in Kandahar in 2003, where her father found work. Soosan initially worked as a carpet weaver alongside her siblings. In 2011, she began her acting career with small local roles, then moved to Kabul and, with her father Abdülgaffar Firooz’s permission, started pursuing rap music.

Firooz, who caught the attention of Afghan musician Farid Rastagar, performs rap songs in the Dari language. Her first single, “Our Neighbors” (Hemsayegan-e Ma), released in 2012, addresses the harsh conditions faced by Afghan refugees; the song was composed by Rastagar based on verses by the poet Sohrab Sirat. Another of her songs, “Nakıs-ül Akl” (The Foolish One), refers to a phrase used in Afghanistan to belittle women.

Firooz lives with her family north of Kabul. She has repeatedly faced acid attacks, kidnappings, and even death threats. Her mother, who works on humanitarian aid projects in southern Afghanistan, has also been threatened with death. Her father, who works for the electricity department, accompanies her to studios and on TV shows, serving as both her manager and her bodyguard.

Paradise Sorouri

Paradise Sorouri is a 24-year-old Afghan singer born in Isfahan, Iran. At the age of 17, she moved to Herat, her father’s hometown, and later relocated to Tajikistan with her husband, Diverse. As the first female Afghan rapper, she released a rap song titled “Feryad-e Zen” (The Woman’s Cry). Through this song she voices the suffering, oppression, and struggles of Afghan women; her work has generated significant buzz on social media, particularly on YouTube and Facebook.

Another of her artistic works is “Nalestan” (Land of Lament), which addresses violence against women in Afghanistan.

The lines in the intro of Paradise’s song, which have drawn the attention of many people, especially women’s rights organizations and activists, are as follows:

“My voice is always filled with pain; it’s not the Arctic, but the air is so cold. I wanted to run, but they shot my waist; I wanted to think, but they shot my head. In the name of Islam, they burned my face; for revenge, they cut off my nose. They poured acid on my hands and body; they sold me, because I am just a woman…”

These striking words serve as a summary of Paradise’s struggle and the severe human rights violations faced by women in Afghanistan.

Resource: AWNA

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