A Tragic Death of a Protester: “Bibi Gul” Ends Her Life Under Taliban Pressure

Image: AFP

As the new wave of arrests of women and girls in Kabul on charges of what the Taliban call “improper hijab” continues, the news of the suicide of 21-year-old women’s rights protester Bibi Gul, also known as Zahra Mohammadi, in Kunduz has shocked Afghan activists. This incident, beyond a personal tragedy, symbolizes the deep human rights crisis and the unbearable psychological pressures faced by protesting women in Afghanistan.

According to credible sources who spoke to Zan News, Bibi Gul had been living under severe psychological distress after being arrested and tortured by the Taliban in 2021 and ultimately ended her life.

She was a member of the Afghanistan Women’s Solidarity Movement and was arrested during a street protest in Kunduz in late September 2021. Sources close to her family say the Taliban held her for two days and subjected her to torture. After her release, “she constantly thought about suicide.”

Local sources report that after her arrest, Bibi Gul’s family was also placed under heavy pressure and threats by the Taliban. Zahra Mohammadi blamed herself for the situation her family was facing.

Sources confirmed to Zan News that Bibi Gul threw herself into a well in Kunduz last Friday and died in the provincial hospital on Sunday (December 31).

The Afghan Women’s Solidarity Movement, confirming her death, stated that “this suicide is a direct result of the Taliban’s pressure on protesting women.”

Women’s rights activist Freshta Arifi told Zan News:

“Zahra Mohammadi was a brave girl, but after her imprisonment by the Taliban and facing family restrictions, she ended her life. This is a serious warning about the situation of women activists in Afghanistan.”

In recent weeks, the Taliban have launched a large-scale campaign of arrests targeting women and girls in Kabul, especially in the western parts of the city. The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice confirmed the arrests, claiming that “the goal is to punish those who do not observe hijab.”

In response, the United Nations and Amnesty International condemned the arrests and called for the immediate release of the detained women.

Bibi Gul’s death is not an isolated incident; it reflects the growing psychological, social, and security pressures faced by Afghan women activists under Taliban rule.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, women have been banned from secondary and higher education, employment in government and many private institutions, and even from traveling without a male guardian. These policies, described by many human rights organizations as “gender apartheid,” have led to rising depression, suicides, and forced migration among women.

The suicide of Zahra Mohammadi is not merely a heartbreaking event; it is an alarm bell for the condition of women in Afghanistan. As the Taliban continue to tighten their control over women’s lives through their rigid interpretation of “Sharia,” the international community must intensify pressure on the group to ensure Afghan women’s basic rights and freedoms. Every silence only paves the way for the repetition of such tragedies.