Testimony of an Afghan activist: “I am no longer safe, I will no longer be free”

Published on : 08/27/2021 – 08:40

Like many other women in Afghanistan, a women’s rights activist met by France 24 is now condemned to go into hiding. She had to leave her home and now she’s afraid to go out. For 11 days, she has only gone out once to buy food.

But today, in front of our special envoys, she wants to speak. A young educated entrepreneur, she campaigned for women’s literacy and the improvement of children’s living conditions. “I am afraid for my life. The Taliban are Islamist extremists, I am no longer safe, I will no longer be free. I have heard all the stories from my family and from the people who lived under the Taliban, and what I heard scares me even more. “

“It’s like I dug my own grave”

Hela, her 21-year-old cousin, is too young to remember when the Taliban was in power. But, she is not unaware of their violence. “They carry out attacks, explosions,” explains Hela. “Last year, in 2020, they attacked Kabul University. My classmate was there. That day, by chance, I was not at the university. If I had been there, I too would have lost my life there. ”

For her, her future is sacrificed. “The first day the Taliban arrived in Kabul, I couldn’t breathe. All of my studies, all I did was like I dug my own grave. I had an interesting job at the Department of Public Works, I had a good salary, money to help my family. Now I have nothing … “