In a concerning development, a 22-year-old Afghan woman named Khadija Ahmadzada was detained by the Taliban for over two weeks earlier this month. Ahmadzada, who reportedly ran a taekwondo gym for girls, was arrested for allegedly violating the Taliban’s strict rules regarding women’s sports.
According to a spokesman for the Taliban’s supreme court, Ahmadzada was held for 13 days on charges of not wearing a “proper hijab,” “playing music,” and allowing men and women to mix at her gym. The spokesman claimed she had received multiple prior warnings before her arrest.
The case was eventually referred to the supreme court, which announced on Thursday, January 22nd that Ahmadzada would be released. However, her current whereabouts remain unclear.
Ahmadzada’s detention sparked an outcry on social media, with the United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, calling for her immediate release. Bennett also highlighted the case of female journalist Nazira Rashidi, who was detained in late December in the northern city of Kunduz. Taliban spokesmen have denied that Rashidi’s detention is related to her work as a journalist.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the group has imposed a raft of measures that have severely curtailed the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. Sports clubs have been closed to women, and as of January 2023, no such facilities have been allowed to reopen. Women are also still unable to compete in sports.
These restrictions are part of a broader crackdown on women’s rights, which has seen their access to education and employment significantly limited. The Taliban has also imposed strict dress codes, requiring women to wear the all-covering burqa in public.
The recent cases of Ahmadzada and Rashidi underscore the ongoing challenges faced by Afghan women under the Taliban’s rule. As the international community continues to grapple with the situation in Afghanistan, many are calling for the protection of the hard-won rights and freedoms that Afghan women had previously enjoyed.
