By: Hafez
After the fall of Kabul by the Taliban on August 2021, a group of women and girls who did not surrender to the Taliban’s policy of suppressing women, formed a movement called the ” Afghanistan Women’s Movement for Justice.” Sabera Akbari, who was a member of the movement’s leadership for a while, says that first a WhatsApp group was created among girls, and then the movement’s name, slogan and logo were chosen. “Bread, work, and freedom” is the slogan with which protesters in the Afghanistan Women’s Movement for Justice took to the streets of Kabul on November 3, 2021. This march, which started from the crossroads of Pashtunistan, was violently suppressed by the Taliban.
Madina Darwazi, Naiera Kohestani, Fariza Akbari, Somia Shirzad, Tamna Rezaei, Tamanna Pariani, Zarmina Pariani, Parvanah Ebrahimkhel and Mursal Ayyar were important members of the Justice-Seeking Women’s Movement. Mrs. Akbari says that these protesters were arrested and imprisoned by the Taliban and left the movement after their release. Justice-Seeking Women’s Movement has protested against the anti-feminist policy of the Taliban by marching in the street, gathering at home, holding a poetry night, painting walls, wearing men’s clothes, hunger strike and holding press conferences.
With the narrowing of the space for protest activities in Afghanistan, the members of the Justice-Seeking Women’s Movement are slowly being exiled and refugees to Pakistan and Western countries.
Mrs. Akbari says: “During the protests, most of the members of the Afghanistan Women’s Movement for Justice were arrested, beaten, imprisoned and exiled.”
Mrs. Akbari and some other members of the movement are exiled to Pakistan. These protesters resume their activities in Pakistan. They hold an election to select the leader of the movement and as a result Akbari is elected as the leader of the movement. Mrs. Akbari says: “On November 31, 2022, we held elections among movement members in the WhatsApp group. I became the leader of this movement with the highest votes; But we wanted to work as a team and formed a leadership committee.” According to her, Hoda Khamoush, Shahla Arefi and Soraya Haqyar were in this committee beside her, and later, Rahela Ansari (Rahela Talash) and Fatemeh Etimadi joined them.
In September 2023, Tamnna Zaryab Pariani, a former member of the Afghanistan Women’s Movement for Justice, went on a hunger strike in Germany. Her request to the international community and the United Nations was to recognize gender apartheid in Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban. Ms. Pariani also wanted to stop financial aid to the Taliban.
Sabera Akbari and Fatemeh Etimadi, key members of the Afghanistan Women’s Movement for Justice, went on a hunger strike in the hot and scorching weather of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. Ms. Akbari says: “I went on a hunger strike from September 4th to September 12th, 2023. My health condition was very bad; It means fighting to the death and ultimately I was taken to the hospital.”
After staying in Pakistan for a while, Mrs. Akbari evacuated to Canda and she withdrew from being a member of the Afghanistan Women’s Movement for Justice. But she says she will continue his human rights activities.
However, after the arrest of protesters by the Taliban and the escape of a number of members of the movement, many members have left the movement; But even so, this movement has continued its protest activities.
From the beginning of its formation until now, the Afghanistan Women’s Movement for Justice has had 79 protest programs in the form of gatherings, holding press conferences (in person, from closed places and remotely) and issuing announcements, most of which were held in Kabul.
The first march of this movement, which was held on September 3, 2021 at Pashtunistan Crossroads in Kabul, was turned violent by the Taliban. The Taliban dispersed the protestors with anger and later with the use of fire extinguishers and extinguished the protest. On January 16, 2022, the Taliban violently suppressed the street protest of the members of this movement. The protesters had come to the street because of the murder of Zainab Abdullahi – who was shot by the Taliban at Unchi checkpoint west of Kabul; But the Taliban dispersed the protesters by using tear gas.
On October 1, 2022, protesters in the Afghanistan Women’s Movement for Justice held a protest march in response to the attack on the Kaaj educational center. This protest was suppressed by the Taliban using tear gas.
The protests of the Afghanistan Women’s Movement for Justice, like other civil protests, had no place in the Taliban regime, and therefore, most of the protesters faced the risk of arrest, imprisonment and torture. On the 7th of March 2023, when the members of this movement held a protest march in Share Naw Kabul on the occasion of the 8th of March, the Taliban forces ran over three protestors, including Mahbooba Afzali, with a Ranger.
Hoda Khomoush, a member of the Afghan Women’s Movement For Justice, tells Silk Way that this movement do not have a specific supporter and only through the media and international meetings and protests, they bring their voices to the world community.
On January 23, 2022, a dialogue related to Afghanistan issues was held in Oslo, the capital of Norway. The meeting was attended by Thomas West, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan, representatives of European countries, representatives of Afghan women’s protest movements, some Afghan politicians, and Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister. This meeting was held while a number of members of the Afghan Women’s Movement for Justice, such as Parwanah Ebrahimkhel, Tamna Zaryab Pariani and her sisters, were in Taliban prison. Hoda Khomoush, who participated in the Oslo meeting as a representative of the female protesters, presented a list of Afghan women’s demands in this meeting; But before starting the speech, in a gesture of protest, Khamoush says to the Taliban’s foreign minister: “Mr. Muttaqi, you should call Kabul right now so that the imprisoned girls and women are released; Otherwise, I will not speak.” Muttaqi picks up the phone and calls the Taliban officials in Kabul.
Members of the Afghanistan Women’s Movement for Justice currently communicate with each other through WhatsApp, Signal, Zoom and other relatively safe virtual platforms.
The members of the Afghanistan Women’s Movement for Justice, who are fighting against the Taliban with the goal of achieving a society in which justice is established, fighting against the policy of exclusion of others – which women are a part of this others – have endured many difficulties and sufferings in this direction; But they never intended to stop fighting the Taliban and have continued struggles until now.
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