Hoda Khamosh, a prominent human rights activist and Witness No. 23 on the second day of the People’s Tribunal held in Madrid, Spain, gave a harrowing testimony detailing the Taliban’s systematic oppression of women in Afghanistan. The tribunal aims to document the widespread violations of women’s rights and to push for the accountability of Taliban leaders before international justice mechanisms.
Recounting the Violence of the Early Days
In her testimony, Ms. Khamosh shared her direct experience from the early days following the Taliban’s return to power. She emphasized that during that period, Taliban forces resorted to extreme violence against civilians:
- Beating protesters: She stated clearly that Taliban members brutally beat women and girls who took to the streets to protest.
- Firing at civilians: The witness also confirmed that, in the early days, the Taliban fired directly at people to suppress gatherings and demonstrations.
Targeted Suppression of Women’s Protests
Hoda Khamosh’s testimony particularly focused on the Taliban’s violent response to women-led demonstrations in Kabul. As someone who participated in several of these protests, she described what she personally witnessed:
- Organized violence: She stressed that Taliban members used systematic and organized violence against protesting women.
- Use of tear gas: Ms. Khamosh recalled that the Taliban used inhumane means, such as tear gas, to disperse the women.
Personal Threats and the Roots of the Protests
The activist not only referred to public acts of violence but also revealed the personal threats she and other activists had faced:
- Threatening letters: Ms. Khamosh reported receiving multiple threatening letters from the Taliban, demonstrating their deliberate tracking and targeting of women activists.
- The cause of the protests: She explained that the women’s demonstrations emerged as a reaction to the Taliban’s complete and systematic exclusion of women from the cabinet and all sectors of public life.
Criticism of the International Community
In closing, Hoda Khamosh criticized the international community’s response to the Taliban regime:
- Unacceptable inequality: She powerfully declared that the level of inequality and oppression imposed on Afghan women is intolerable and that global silence in the face of such injustice is unacceptable.
This testimony stands as one of the key evidentiary accounts presented at the People’s Tribunal—part of a broader effort to document the Taliban’s crimes and advocate for the recognition of their gender apartheid and misogynistic policies as crimes against humanity.
