The Taliban has released Zarifa Yaqobi, a women’s rights activist, who was arrested along with four male colleagues around 40 days ago in west Kabul. Her colleagues, however, have not been released, sources confirmed to Kabul Now.
The Taliban intelligence operatives had arrested the women rights activist and her colleagues from a press conference on November 03 in west Kabul.
In addition to her activism, Yaqobi is a member of Mawj-e-Tahawol political party led by former female MP, Fawzia Koofi.
Koofi confirmed Yaqobi’s release in a tweet on Monday, December 12.
“The prison makes you mature and strengthens [your] determination. This way [fight] is to be continued,” the former MP added posting a photo of Yaqbobi and her own.
Yaqobi and her relatives, however, have not commented regarding her release so far.
In addition to Yaqobi, the Taliban have arrested four more women rights activists whose whereabouts are still unknown.
Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, women and girls have lost their basic rights in Afghanistan and are still facing increasing restrictions. The group has effectively closed secondary schools for girls and removed women from governmental posts.
These severe restrictions have triggered women’s protests in major cities across the country and the formation of women’s protest movements which have been so far violently suppressed by the ruling Taliban.
