RASC News Agency: According to reliable sources, Manizha Sidiqi, a prominent female protester, was recently apprehended by the Taliban in Kabul province, marking another distressing incident in the ongoing ordeal. While the arrest occurred around 15 days ago, the information was only made public yesterday, October 23rd. Mrs. Sidiqi, an active member of the “Spontaneous Movement of Women Protesters,” was detained on October 9th in the Karta-e-Now area of Kabul city.
It is of utmost importance to emphasize that the detention of Mrs. Sidiqi has garnered widespread condemnation from the “Spontaneous Women’s Protest Movement,” who view it as a flagrant manifestation of gender apartheid. Regrettably, she joins a disheartening list of individuals targeted by the Taliban, with Nida Parwani and Zhulia Parsi, fellow women protesters, and their respective family members being subjected to arrest and subsequent captivity under Taliban custody.
While these distressing incidents unfold, it is disconcerting that pertinent authorities and spokespersons from the Taliban have yet to release any official statements regarding the apprehension and imprisonment of these tireless women’s rights activists. This apathy displayed by the Taliban is particularly troubling as they have a regrettable history of detaining and inflicting torment upon women participating in protests, actions that have been unequivocally decried as gender apartheid by staunch women’s rights advocates. Consequently, the international community is implored to formally acknowledge and address these abhorrent practices.
Since assuming power, the Taliban has systematically enforced increasingly restrictive and oppressive measures against women, precipitating mass demonstrations by women’s rights activists. Previously, international communities and foreign governments had fervently implored the Taliban to alleviate restrictions imposed on Afghanistani citizens and ensure access to education for girls at all levels. Yet, the Taliban adamantly refused to allow any foreign entity or organization to interfere in the nation’s internal affairs, maintaining their uncompromising stance.
