Leading the story: About 40 women chanted “bread, work and freedom” as they marched in front of the education ministry building, according to AFP. The demonstration came just days before the first anniversary of the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan last August. The latest: Some protesters held a banner reading “August 15 is a black day,” referring to the upcoming anniversary.
Protesters also chanted: “Justice! Justice! We are tired of ignorance,” according to AFP. Taliban fighters chased the protesters and hit them with the stocks of their rifles.
The big picture: Since the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from the country last year, the Taliban have eroded the rights women won during the two decades the U.S. occupied the country.
The Taliban then said they would respect women’s rights, but only within the “framework” of Islamic law. However, the Taliban have placed some restrictions on women and girls. Girls have been barred from high school, and women have been barred from holding most government positions or traveling alone. The Taliban also ordered women and girls to wear full face coverings.
What they say: Human Rights Watch this week called on foreign governments to pressure the Taliban to restore basic rights.
“The Afghan people are living a human rights nightmare, victims of both Taliban cruelty and international apathy,” said Fereshta Abbasi, the group’s Afghanistan researcher. “Afghanistan’s future will remain bleak if foreign governments do not engage more actively with Taliban authorities while pressing them hard on their rights record.”
Go deeper: Afghan women becoming ‘invisible’ under Taliban rule, UN warns
