Witness 20 In-person Testimony

Greetings and hello, dear audience, good time

I am one of the young female activists

Today, I stand here to share my experiences and perspectives, my perspectives on the illegal Taliban ruling. On August 15, 2021, a group called “the Taliban,” which is an ideology that is an enemy of women’s progress and freedom, particularly women ‘s education.  

They closed down the doors of schools and universities to women and girls. The Taliban is a group that doesn’t believe in anyone except themselves.

The Taliban prisons are crowded with different ethnic groups, especially the Taji ethnic group.The Taliban do not respect any rights or freedoms, particulary citizens’ rights.

When Kabul fell, I was still working in my office; everything turned upside down. Women were deprived of work, freedom, and even life. I was the only breadwinner in my family, but we were not allowed to work anymore.

Many women and girls like me lost their jobs and employment. With a group of women and girls, we took to the streets, chanted the slogan ‘bread, work, freedom’ for human rights while demanding access to work, education, and personal freedom.

Many times, during our protests, we got bitten. During one of the protests, Taliban soldiers with electronic gear attacked me, and my hand was badly injured, so I was not able to move.

I went to a doctor’s office, but when the doctor saw me, he apologized and said, “If I treat you, it is possible that they will close down my office.”

My only crime was that I was a woman who stood up for my women’s human rights. The Taliban do not believe in any rights or justice, only their fabricated and inflicted the rules that cruelty, crime, and killing of innocent people are considered normal

This group is ethnically homogeneous and fascist. At first, they allowed women to study in a limited number of medical fields, but soon even that was banned. These decisions have caused profound psychological harm to Afghan girls. Some were driven to suicide.

Today, even simple illnesses have become major challenges for Afghan girls. If a woman becomes sick, she is forbidden from visiting a male doctor. And the absence of female doctors in many places means that women are effectively denied access to healthcare.

I remember once going to a dentist for severe tooth pain. When the doctor saw me, he apologized with tears in his eyes, saying he could not treat me because the new rules forbid women from seeing male doctors.

In that moment, I felt deeply that I was deprived of my most basic human rights simply for being a woman.I believe that speaking the truth is a step toward justice.

We, the women of Afghanistan, are not merely victims; we are witnesses that stand here today and say clearly: Afghan women have the right to education, the right to work, and the right to freedom.

Justice for us is not a dream; it is our fundamental right. I am grateful to the organizers of this tribunal for giving us the space to share these realities.

My message to Afghan women is that your voices are heard everywhere. You are not alone.

Thank you.