A young woman took her own life after being released from a Taliban prison in the central Bamyan province, local sources reported.
The victim, identified as 19-year-old Tahera, was subjected to abuse in a Taliban prison after members of the group forcibly detained her in the Panjab district’s Tagab Barg village a few days ago, sources cited.
Tahera hanged herself on Saturday, July 27, putting an end to her life following her release which was made possible with the intervention of local elders.
According to sources, she studied until grade 9th and worked as a tailor in her village.
Sources reported that after some residents had learned about the case, Taliban authorities in Panjab attempted to cover it, stating that the woman was “detained due to wearing improper hijab,” a forced dress code imposed by the regime since they returned to power in 2021.
But a written document taken in custody by Tahera, obtained by KabulNow, appears to show that the woman was pulled into a Taliban police vehicle out of fear. The document also indicates that the Taliban’s provincial security directorate interviewed the victim.
According to sources, a suspect, identified as a Taliban security member, has been arrested on charges of assaulting Tahera and remains in the central prison in Bamiyan.
Saboor Farzan, Taliban’s spokesperson for the provincial governor’s office, did not respond to KabulNow’s questions about the matter.
Since returning to power, Taliban authorities have imposed a slew of draconian laws on women’s rights, which the United Nations has labeled “gender apartheid”.
The regime has since effectively banned girls’ education above sixth grade and barred women from attending universities. Taliban has also severely restricted women’s rights to employment, mobility, appearance, and other basic freedoms. Women have also been banned from traveling without a male relative and ordered to cover everything themselves from head to toe when outside the home.
Despite international condemnation and pressure, the Taliban authorities have shown no sign of lifting these bans.
Under Taliban rule, the country remains one of the most depressed countries in the world, with the highest rate of mental health problems and suicidal thoughts among its people. Last year, a study conducted by the US-based organization Gallup found that 98% of Afghanistan’s population suffers from psychological distress.
“Surveys conducted in July and August — coinciding with the first anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover — showed almost all Afghans (98%) rated their life so poorly that they were considered suffering. This percentage topped the previous high of 94% in 2021, measured as the Taliban seized full control,” the report said.
In a report last year, Etilaatroz newspaper revealed that at least 213 individuals across 28 provinces of Afghanistan took their own lives for various reasons within a year. According to the report, nearly 80% of those who committed suicide were under the age of 20.
