(Kabul) One of the Afghan feminist activists arrested in January after taking part in a demonstration against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan was released on Friday, two of her relatives told AFP.
Posted yesterday at 4:28 p.m.
Parwana Ibrahimkhel was arrested on January 19 in Kabul, like another activist, Tamana Zaryabi Paryani, a few days after their participation in a rally defending women’s access to education and their right to work.
The Taliban have always denied any involvement in these disappearances and claimed to have opened an investigation.
Mme Ibrahimkhel was released on Friday after being held for more than three weeks by the Taliban, according to a close relative.
“We confirm that Parwana was released today,” he told AFP, on condition of anonymity. “She was detained by the Islamic Emirate (the name given by the Taliban to their regime, editor’s note)”.
Her release was also confirmed by Hoda Khamosh, one of the figures of feminist protest in Afghanistan in recent months.
“I contacted her immediate family members and Parwana was released today, she is fine,” she told AFP.
During the arrest of Parwana Ibrahimkhel and Tamana Zaryabi Paryani, four relatives of the two young women had also disappeared. The fate of Mme Paryani and these four people remained unknown Friday evening.
Two new activists, Zahra Mohammadi and Mursal Ayar, were arrested by the Taliban last week, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Manua). Their fate is also unknown.
The Taliban claim to have modernized since their previous rule of Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001, when they largely trampled on human rights.
But since their return to power in August, they have suppressed all opposition. In particular, they dispersed demonstrations by women’s rights activists, arrested certain voices critical of their regime and beat up or arrested several journalists.
Islamist fundamentalists have also ousted teenage girls from many colleges and public schools, forced women to accompany a male relative on long journeys, and barred them from most public jobs.
On Friday, the Taliban also released two foreign journalists, arrested in Kabul while on mission for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as well as their Afghan colleagues.
The country is currently facing a serious humanitarian crisis and the international community has made respect for human rights a precondition for the possible return of international aid, which represented approximately 75% of the Afghan budget before the return to power of the Taliban.