Shokofa Safari, a 28-year-old woman and former officer of the Afghan National Army, has revealed one of the most horrific crimes of the Taliban era in an interview with Rukhshana Media.
She says that on August 31, 2021, after the fall of Kabul, the Taliban raided her home in the west of the city and arrested her on charges of serving in the army of the former government.
According to Shokofa, she was imprisoned for five days and nights in the 13th Taliban Security Zone, where she was kept in a container in inhumane conditions.
She says that they had nothing to do with her during the day, but the nights turned into nightmares; especially on the second and third nights, several Taliban members gang-raped her.
She stressed that during the rape, the Taliban used ethnic and religious slurs to insult her, calling the rape “her right.”
Images provided to the media show the wounds from beatings, whippings, and teeth marks on her body.
Shokofa says that after five nights of torture and rape, she was released from prison after paying 200,000 Afghanis, but the fear and shame of this horrific experience kept her silent for four years.
This is not the only story. Earlier, in February 2024, at least 10 women spoke to some media outlets about rape or sexual abuse in Taliban prisons.
Of these, eight women reported being raped, and two others said that their naked bodies were filmed.
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, confirmed that he was aware of these reports and that an investigation was underway.
However, despite the publication of these testimonies and documents, the Taliban have not only failed to respond, but have also blocked any avenue for legal action through repression and threats.
The silence of the international community and the lack of response from institutions claiming to defend human rights have contributed to the continuation of the cycle of violence and repression in Afghanistan, and Afghan women are the helpless victims of this historical injustice.
