Women’s Movement Towards Freedom: Taliban Rule Lacks Popular Legitimacy
- Maryam Naiby
- Aug 6
- 2 min read
Ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, the Women’s Movement Towards Freedom has called on the United Nations, governments and human rights organisations not to remain silent in the face of violations of the rights of the Afghan people and to refrain from normalising relations with the Taliban without guarantees for citizens’ fundamental rights.
Members of the movement held protest actions in Kabul and Islamabad, describing Taliban rule as lacking popular legitimacy. They said the group has turned Afghanistan into a “large prison” for millions of citizens by suppressing fundamental freedoms, excluding women from educational, social, economic and political life, and imposing gender discrimination.
The Women’s Movement Towards Freedom called for the Taliban’s policies against women to be recognised as “gender apartheid” and for those responsible for these policies to face legal prosecution before international institutions.
The movement also emphasised the rights of women and girls to education, work, political participation, freedom of expression, freedom of movement and an equal life, and called for the immediate removal of all restrictions imposed on them.
Members of the movement said no society can have a bright future without women’s participation and respect for human rights. They called on the international community to take effective steps to provide practical support for the rights of the Afghan people, particularly women and girls.
The Women’s Movement Towards Freedom described the resistance of Afghan women as a symbol of hope and courage, saying the voices of women who have fought for freedom in the streets, in their homes, in prisons and in exile will not be silenced.
This comes as 15 August marks five years since the Taliban returned to power, five years marked by the widespread denial of education, work, freedom of movement and participation in public life to women and girls. International organisations have repeatedly called on the Taliban to lift the restrictions and bans imposed on women, but the group, claiming to implement Sharia, has so far taken no effective action to end these policies.
