Living Under the Taliban

Another Message From Hamid

This photo is caught from video that was recorded by RAWA in Kabul using a hidden camera. It shows two Taliban from department of Amr bil Ma-roof (Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Taliban religious police) beating a woman in public because she has removed her burqa in public.

Afghanistan, a country whose people have long struggled for freedom, education, and progress, has once again fallen into the grip of extremism and fear. Since the Taliban's return to power, fundamental human rights, especially those of women, have been systematically crushed.

Across cities in Afghanistan, women are not only banned from education but are also prohibited from engaging in professional and humanitarian work.

My own sister, a traditional medical doctor who ran a small pharmacy specializing in women’s health, was initially barred from attending university. Later, she was forbidden by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue from continuing her work. This is at a time when Afghan women are in desperate need of medical care, counseling, and support.

Girls across the country are now completely banned from going to school. Secondary and high schools are closed to them, and many girls, their dreams shattered, are trapped inside their homes. This denial of education is not only a clear violation of human rights but a disaster for Afghanistan’s social and cultural future.

Boys, too, are not free. The Taliban now require male students to wear specific local clothing, including long traditional trousers and Taliban-style turbans. Any boy who dresses differently risks being punished or humiliated. This enforcement of dress codes is part of the Taliban’s wider attempt to mold the next generation according to their ideology.

But the repression doesn’t stop there. In many Afghan cities, the Taliban impose their harsh and personal standards on the entire population. Even men face restrictions on their appearance.

If a man shaves his beard or keeps it short, he may be arrested by the Taliban and subjected to harsh or humiliating treatment. This strict control over people's appearances is just one example of the regime’s rule through fear and force.

The Taliban aims to build a society of silence, one in which no one dares to question, protest, or even choose how they live.

As a former soldier, I have witnessed the resilience of the Afghan people. But today, that resistance has been pushed into silence, and the voices of my people are trapped behind the walls of oppression.

I call upon international organizations, the United Nations, human rights defenders, and every conscience in the free world to hear our cry. Global silence in the face of such injustice is complicity. Afghan women, men, children, and vulnerable families deserve a future of safety, freedom, and dignity.

Let us be the voice of Afghanistan before silence consumes everything.

Below is a video of the Taliban enforcing their edicts.