On the streets of Kabul, in the alleys of Barchi, Bala Hisar, Sarai Shamali, and Qala-e-Najjarha, there are muffled screams that the world would rather not hear. Women who once shouted bravely for their rights, for bread and freedom, are now forced to silence under the shadow of the Taliban’s terror. This is not just repression; this is gradual death: the murder of the souls, bodies, and dreams of Afghan women.
The Taliban, the guardians of darkness, are stamping on women’s backs with their boots. Women who once worked bravely are now being chased through the streets, threatened with death, and forcibly deprived of their jobs. Men take their families to checkpoints, release them with threats and intimidation, and warn: “Stop your women and daughters, or else…” What else? Death? Prison? Forced marriage that leads to sexual slavery? These threats are not just words; these are blades that are drawn at the throats of women.
One of the comrades said: The sister of a friend of his was threatened with death. Out of fear, she left Kabul and took refuge in Bamyan. But, is Bamyan safe? Where should she go? This is not just the story of one person; this is the fate of thousands of women who live in terror and fear.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. At Rabia Balkhi Hospital, near the presidential palace, a pregnant woman was not allowed inside because she did not have a mahram. She bled, she screamed, but the ruthless Taliban did not even listen to the cries of a mother. She lost her child, and her husband was beaten, humiliated, and imprisoned for protesting.
What kind of world is this where a mother has to beg to give birth and ultimately face the death of her child? What kind of law is this that instead of protecting lives, it takes lives?
From Badam Bagh Prison in Kabul and the women’s prison in Mazar-e-Sharif, cries for help can be heard. A driver who drives passengers through these areas at night says, “I hear the screams, but no one dares to ask!” These are the cries of women who are trapped in the Taliban’s dungeons for the crime of living, for the crime of being a woman, for the crime of resistance.
There are reports of gang rapes, torture, and threats to broadcast private videos to silence protesters. The Taliban not only imprison women, they also take their souls captive.
These are not just crimes, these are a system; a system that, in the name of religion, in the name of tradition, and the name of honor, buries women alive. A system that deprives girls of education and work, and even considers their laughter a crime. This is gender apartheid; this is a crime against humanity; this is the gradual death of half of society.
But we anarchists believe that no oppression is eternal. We believe that against every boot, resistance is born. Afghan women, even in the darkness, still scream. That girl in Kabul who wrote history on the flag of resistance, that woman who stood up to the Taliban and was threatened, that mother who is still alive despite losing her child. All of this shows that the spirit of resistance is still alive.
We must amplify these voices, narrate and shout, and awaken the world. The Taliban want to bury women in silence, but we will not be silent. We do not place our hope in governments or international organizations that watch this tragedy with indifference. We believe in the power of the people, the solidarity of comrades, and the power of our own resistance. Every account of these crimes is an arrow to the heart of this tyranny. Every cry is a brick to build a world without oppression.
So, comrades! Sharpen your pens and raise your voices. From Barchi to Mazar, from Kabul to Bamyan, from Kandahar to Paktika, from Kunar to Wakhan, tell the stories of these women; let us be the voice and cry of every woman who cries in prison, for every mother who has lost her child, for every girl who has been deprived of education. This fight is the fight of all of us; Fight against the Taliban, against the oppressors, and against every system that enslaves man, against governments, and the ruling and fascist powers.
Forward, for a world without chains, tyranny, and oppression!