Video: Group sexual assault on woman in Taliban prison
The Guardian has obtained a video showing an Afghan woman activist being subjected to gang rape and torture by armed men in a Taliban prison. It is alleged that the video was used to blackmail the activist into silence.
The joint report by The Guardian and Rukhshana Media highlights the increasing reports of sexual violence against detained women in Afghanistan, marking this video as the first concrete evidence of such allegations.
FIRST EVIDENCE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS
According to the activist, the video, recorded on a cell phone, was later sent to her with a threat to distribute it more widely if she continued to speak out against the Taliban regime.
In the video, viewed by The Guardian and Rukhshana Media, the young woman is told to undress and is then repeatedly assaulted by two men. The woman attempts to cover her face with her hands while one of the armed men records the assault on his phone. At one point, the woman is pushed roughly when she hesitates to comply with an order.
During the assault, one of the men says, "You've been screwed by the Americans for years, now it's our turn."
ARRESTED AFTER PROTEST, ESCAPED THE COUNTRY
The woman claimed she was arrested for participating in a protest against the Taliban and was assaulted while being detained in a Taliban prison. After her release, she fled Afghanistan. The video was sent to her after she spoke out against the Taliban, with threats that it would be sent to her family and posted on social media if she continued her criticism.
She stated, "They told me, 'If you continue to say bad things against the Islamic Emirate, we will release your video.'"
Recently, the UN special rapporteur on Afghanistan reported that women in detention were being subjected to sexual violence.
Taliban spokesperson Zabhullah Mujahid denied widespread allegations of sexual assault against women in prisons.
TALIBAN REMAINS INDIFFERENT
Heather Barr, deputy director at Human Rights Watch, said the Taliban "remain indifferent to abuses, particularly those happening behind prison walls."
Barr emphasized, "The Taliban are aware of how stigmatized the issue of sexual violence is in Afghanistan and how difficult, often impossible, it is for victims to come forward, even to their own families, due to the shame and potential risk of honor killings."
Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, expressed his concern:
"I am alarmed by reports of torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence, particularly against women in detention. We continue to investigate these reports and seek to establish the facts."
