Freshta Abbasi, a prominent Afghan researcher at Human Rights Watch, has voiced serious concern over the worsening condition of women in Afghanistan, warning that the Taliban have made their systemic repression of women deeper, broader, and more violent than ever before.
In a post published on her official account on the social platform X, Abbasi stated:
“By intensifying their misogynistic policies, the Taliban are not only stripping women of their fundamental rights, but committing crimes that must be documented, exposed, and prosecuted.”
Abbasi stressed that Human Rights Watch is actively documenting these crimes to hold the perpetrators accountable. She affirmed that the people of Afghanistan — especially women — deserve justice and a life of dignity, both of which have been systematically denied under Taliban rule over the past four years.
Since the group’s return to power in August 2021, the Taliban have issued more than 80 decrees aimed at restricting women and girls from basic rights, including education, employment, mobility, recreation, and participation in public and political life.
This warning comes amid rising concerns from Human Rights Watch and other organizations, which have reported that Taliban repression of women has reached an increasingly dangerous and entrenched level. Yet, the international community’s response remains “weak, fragmented, and ineffective.”
