Afghan Activist: Taliban uses sexual violence to silence opposing women

The women’s rights activist accused the Taliban of using excessive threats of sexual violence against detainees as a means to silence opposition, stating that the group relies on intimidation and torture to break the will of imprisoned women.

Julia Parsee, an activist and one of the women previously detained by the Taliban, said in a recent statement on the condition of detained women, published by ROJ News Agency, that female prisoners are subjected to systematic psychological and physical torture. This includes constant threats of arrest and terrorizing their family members, which she described as one of the most brutal forms of psychological abuse inside Taliban prisons.

Parsee added: “During my detention, I was threatened with the arrest of my daughters and was even directly threatened with severe sexual violence against them. I was also tortured with electric shocks.”

She confirmed that the Taliban follows a systematic policy to silence opposing female voices through intimidation and torture, seeking to control the female population by spreading fear and terror.

Parsee was arrested in the capital, Kabul, in 2022 for participating in protests against the Taliban’s policies and was held for three months. She remains one of the few female voices continuing to document violations against women under Taliban rule.

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ANHA