Threatened with death and treated like a prostitute: messages from an activist arrested by the Taliban in Afghanistan

Rokiya Sai remembers her period of imprisonment in Afghanistan with some traumas. A widow and mother of two, the activist was unable to take over the country’s leadership after the Taliban regained power. Realizing that women and girls would have fewer and fewer rights, she participated in numerous protests against the regime and was detained twice: once in 2022 and once in 2023. In both situations, she was subjected to physical and psychological torture, which ensured that she would never forget. Now in exile in Germany, he shares some details about his time in the hands of the Taliban.

On December 22, 2022, Rokiya Sai joined other Afghan women in Dehbori, Kabul, to demand that the Taliban restore their rights to education and employment. When the demonstration began, Taliban security forces arrived and began attacking everyone. The women dispersed and Rokia got into a taxi, but they chased her and caught her.

“They hit me on the left ear with their fists. At that moment I felt my eardrum burst and I felt dizzy. After that I couldn’t stand it and got into their car,” says Rokia, quoted as saying by El Pais.

The Afghan woman was taken to the police station along with four other protesters. “Before the interrogation began, they blindfolded me, tied my hands and doused me with cold water,” he explains.

After several interrogations, Rokiya was subjected to physical and psychological torture. “They asked me terrifying questions, beat me, put a gun to my head and threatened to shoot me. I was dizzy, my arms and legs were shaking, I couldn’t move and I was terrified,” he recalls.

As soon as they stopped interrogating her, the activist was placed in a cell with a mattress, blanket and pillow. There was no privacy as there was a CCTV camera in the cell.

Rokiya recalls that throughout her imprisonment the Taliban addressed her in derogatory terms: “Even though they knew my name, they never said it during interrogations. They always called me a prostitute,” she says.

According to El PaisFour days later, Rokia was released on the condition that she would not talk about her detention and would not protest again. Despite the fear and threats, the activist felt that she could not remain silent, and therefore on March 26, 2023, she joined another protest in Kabul against the closure of secondary schools for Afghan girls.

Police charged the women and Rokiya was detained again. This time for a shorter period, since she was released a day later. She said she was forced to record a video in which she confessed to committing the crime and refused to explain the details of how it happened.

Rokia now feels safe in Germany, but admits that since then she has “invisible wounds that remain open.”

“I often woke up screaming because of nightmares. I took medication for a long time, but it was impossible to sleep more than two hours at a time,” he explains.