Women Under Pursuit: Taliban Arrest Tamana Zaryab Paryani and Parwana Ebrahimkhil After Protesting Mandatory Hijab

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As part of the ongoing crackdown on dissent in Afghanistan, Taliban forces arrested two women protesters, Tamana Zaryab Paryani and Parwana Ebrahimkhil, in Kabul on Wednesday night (January 19). The arrests took place just days after women staged demonstrations against killings, enforced disappearances, and the imposition of mandatory hijab.

Sources confirmed to Zan TV that Taliban forces raided Tamana Paryani’s home and arrested her along with her sisters. In a video posted on social media before her arrest, Paryani can be heard shouting in fear, saying, “Help, please! The Taliban are at our house. My sisters are inside.”

The video reveals the depth of fear and terror women in Afghanistan are facing; simply for standing up for their human rights.

At the same time, sources reported that Parwana Ebrahimkhil was also arrested last night along with one of her relatives. Human rights activists describe these arrests as part of “a coordinated Taliban operation to intimidate and silence women.”

The arrests followed Sunday’s protest in Kabul, where several women demonstrated against the disappearance of activists and the enforcement of the hijab. One of the protesters wore a white burqa stained with red paint to symbolize blood. Another woman threw the burqa to the ground, and other protesters stepped on it while chanting “No to compulsory hijab.”

In response to Zan TV’s inquiries, the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior refused to comment. Meanwhile, Khalid Hamraz, a spokesperson for Taliban intelligence, wrote on Twitter: “Insults to national and religious values will not be tolerated,” referring to the women’s protest against the burqa. He also claimed that the protests were organized to seek asylum in the West.

The Taliban’s police spokesperson dismissed Paryani’s video as “fabricated.”

In reaction to these arbitrary arrests, Human Rights Watch stated that the Taliban are increasingly using “violent tactics” to suppress women’s protests. The international organization warned that since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have systematically violated the rights of women and girls; by denying them education, work, and personal freedom.

Heather Barr, director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, said:

“It may be hard to understand why the Taliban respond so violently to 25 women standing peacefully on a sidewalk, but their fear makes sense when you see how powerful and brave these women are, coming out again and again.”

Meanwhile, several women protesters told Zan TV that they are now living in hiding. One protester, who asked not to be named, said:

“The Taliban are knocking on our doors one by one. We decided to go into hiding. We don’t want to be taken away one after another.”

These actions are part of a broader effort to silence civic space and erase women’s voices calling for justice.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August last year, the group has imposed sweeping restrictions on women’s lives. Many women have been removed from their jobs, girls above the sixth grade are banned from attending school. The reality on Afghanistan’s streets is one of fear, coercion, and repression.