VANCOUVER, CANADA – Manizha Seddeqi, a women’s rights activist currently in Taliban custody, denied allegations that she had been tortured by the regime.
Ms. Sediqqi who was speaking at a press conference orchestrated by the regime in Kabul said that she had not endured any form of torture and that she wishes to return to her family before Eid, the Muslim festivities due in a less than a week.
In a video report aired by Tolonews on Thursday, April 4, Ms. Seddeqi affirmed that her health remains robust.
“I have not faced any torture while in prison. My health is satisfactory. Whenever I have fallen ill, day or night, I have been promptly attended to by medical personnel.”
The circumstances under which Ms. Seddeqi participated in this press conference remain ambiguous.
In recent weeks, activists who had been released from Taliban jails came out to talk about their experience of being mistreated including watching their fellow activists being tortured and gang-raped.
Previously, Amnesty International and several other international organizations voiced apprehensions regarding Manizha Seddeqi’s condition in Taliban custody, expressing fears of potential torture.
The regime in Kabul, however, has categorically rejected thus far any allegation of mistreatment, torture and rape as well as the absence of due process in their judicial system.
“I simply wish to reunite with my family before Eid. I urge them to release me as I am innocent,” emphasized Ms. Seddeqi.
Manizha Seddeqi, who was arrested because of organizing and participating in anti-Taliban women protests, has been in custody for more than six months.
Earlier, Amnesty International reported that Manizha Seddeqi went missing on October 9, 2023, subsequently being discovered in Taliban custody. According to the organization’s findings, Ms. Seddeqi was incarcerated by the Taliban on December 5, 2023.
Activists inside Afghanistan and outside have called the press conference a manifestation of the regime’s efforts to retrieve confession with force and coercion.
The “Women’s Movement for Peace and Freedom” declared in a statement that the Taliban have compelled Manizha Seddeqi into a “coerced confession” to mislead the public.
“Extracting coerced confessions goes against Islamic ethics and violates the rights of prisoners.”
Condemning the Taliban’s actions, the movement called upon the United Nations and international human rights organizations to intervene for the unconditional release of Manizha Seddeqi.
Since their resurgence in Afghanistan, the Taliban have detained and imprisoned women protesters on numerous occasions. Several of these women have said that they had been subjected to mistreatment and torture by the Taliban while in their custody.
