Exiled Freedom Movement: Herat Protest Is the People’s Cry Against Years of Oppression

Sent to ZAN TV

The Freedom Seekers Movement in Exile says the public protests in the Jebrael area of Herat are not merely a reaction to a specific incident, but the voice of people who have lived for nearly five years under repression, discrimination, deprivation and the systematic denial of their fundamental rights.

In a statement, the movement expressed support for the protests by women and residents of Herat and described the Taliban’s treatment of demonstrators as a clear violation of human rights.

The statement said that Afghan women, particularly women in Herat, have once again shown that policies aimed at excluding women from social, educational, cultural and political life have failed to break their determination to defend freedom and human dignity.

The Freedom Seekers Movement in Exile said the detention of protesting women and the violent treatment of citizens are further examples of the Taliban’s organised policy to silence voices calling for freedom.

The movement stressed that what is happening in Afghanistan today is not merely isolated violations of women’s rights, but a form of “gender apartheid.”

It called on the international community to recognise this reality and hold those responsible accountable.

The Freedom Seekers Movement in Exile also urged the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, democratic governments and human rights organisations to move beyond symbolic statements and take practical action to support Afghan women, secure the release of detainees and ensure accountability for those responsible for repression.

The statement said that silence in the face of the oppression of Afghan women amounts to the normalisation of injustice. The movement added that the women of Herat are not only fighting for their own rights, but are also defending the values of freedom, equality and human dignity.

The statement comes as residents of the Jebrael area of Herat took to the streets on Tuesday (9 June) to protest the Taliban’s detention of women over their clothing. The Taliban suppressed the protest with gunfire and beatings. Reports indicate that at least four people, including a child, were injured after Taliban forces opened fire.

In recent days, the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has intensified restrictions on women’s movement and detained dozens of women from different parts of Herat, including Jebrael, for allegedly failing to comply with the group’s dress requirements.