Arrest of Female Bloggers: A New Chapter of Taliban’s Repression and Censorship of Women

Social Media

In the latest wave of repression of individual freedoms, the Taliban, by arresting female bloggers, have opened a new chapter of pressure, fear, and widespread censorship against women in Afghanistan.

The arrest of Alia Malorin, one of the active figures on social networks, seems to be only the beginning of an online suffocation project aimed at silencing the voices of women in virtual space.

Local sources in Herat have confirmed that after Alia’s arrest, dozens of female bloggers, out of fear of a similar fate, have not only stopped their digital activities but have also deleted their entire content archives.

The public sphere, especially among young girls, is now filled with fear and anxiety.

Khatira Jamshidi, one of the young bloggers, told Zan News that life for women active in virtual space has now become “extremely difficult and suffocating.” She added that even writing a simple sentence or publishing an ordinary photo could lead to arrest.

Farida Khalid, another female blogger, stated that the Taliban will never stop their fight against women’s freedom.

She warned that these actions are part of the Taliban’s systematic policy to eliminate women from the social, cultural, and political spheres of the country.

Meanwhile, Marzia Ramesh considers the current situation nothing less than “hell” for women.

She has called for the immediate intervention of international human rights institutions and emphasized that silence in the face of this new wave of repression amounts to complicity with a misogynistic regime.

Despite repeated Taliban promises to respect women’s rights, what is seen in practice is the organized suppression of women’s fundamental freedoms, even in the digital space.

The Taliban have not only deprived women of work, education, and freedom of expression, but are now deliberately attempting to cut off their very breathing in the virtual world.

These actions are taking place while the international community continues to remain a silent observer of these crimes.