The killing of Mursal Nabizada is the latest body blow to women’s rights in Afghanistan.
Nabizada, 32, was a member of parliament in the former government and an outspoken critic of the Taliban. Her death is the first documented killing of an MP of the former government since the Taliban’s return.
Her death is yet more evidence that the Taliban-ruled country has descended into violence and lawlessness. This, along with the movement’s continued efforts to repress the rights of women, has made the country an increasingly dangerous place to be for women.
Worryingly, with the Taliban‘s hold on power seemingly secure, there appears to be little hope the situation will improve any time soon.
Nabizada was shot and killed by assailants in her home in Kabul on Sunday. It has been reported that her bodyguard was also killed, while her brother was wounded in the attack. Kabul police have stated that the attackers have not yet been identified and that the motivation for the killing is unclear.
She was one of a number of prominent female politicians who bravely refused to flee when the country fell to the Taliban in August 2021. She has been described as a “fearless champion for Afghanistan” by fellow former female MP, Mariam Solaimankhil.
The Taliban have denied any involvement in the killing and have said that they will investigate.
However, while the Taliban announced an amnesty for all Afghans associated with the former government in 2021, several local and international human rights organizations have claimed that the movement has carried out targeted killings of former officials.
Regardless, the Taliban’s role in creating a dangerous environment for women in Afghanistan is undeniable. The movement therefore bears some responsibility for the death of Nabizada and the restrictive and unsafe conditions Afghan women continue to face.
The Taliban can lay claim to being the most anti-women movement in the world. They have proceeded to repress the rights of women severely, with the intention of removing them from public life completely.
Women have been banned from all but a few vocations, leaving them unable to support their families and live meaningful lives. The removal of women from the workplace has had dangerous knock-on effects. With Afghanistan still suffering from an acute humanitarian crisis, thousands of families have lost their primary breadwinners, leading to alarming levels of poverty and food insecurity.
Recently, the Taliban banned all Afghan women from working for local and international non-governmental organizations, leading to several NGOs suspending operations in Afghanistan.
The ban has meant that humanitarian organizations have been unable to deliver much-needed aid to communities. Women make up about half of these organizations’ staff and, under Taliban rules, men cannot deliver aid to women, leaving them increasingly vulnerable.
Afghanaid, a British humanitarian organization, responded to the ban by stating that “if NGOs are unable to employ female staff … Afghan women will be unable to receive humanitarian and development aid directly, and we, therefore, lose the ability to support half the population.”
Women are also forbidden from leaving the country and, in many instances, the home, without being escorted by male family members. This has in effect locked women in their homes and excluded them from their communities, a severe restriction of their fundamental human rights.
These restrictive rules are a double-edged sword for women. Typically they are left at the mercy of husbands or conservative family members and unable to live their lives. Alternatively, women able to leave home, or break the rules, face physical and sexual harassment from the Taliban and the wider male community, particularly at night or over long distances.
Women who bravely protest against these restrictive policies face increasing levels of violence.
In August last year, the Taliban reportedly beat female protesters and fired warning shots into the air to disperse a rally marking the first anniversary of the movement’s return to power.
Human Rights Watch reports that women detained after protesting have faced torture and severe mistreatment by the Taliban, including dangerous conditions, threats and beatings.
The situation for women in Afghanistan is clearly deteriorating.
The Taliban, as the de facto government, have serious international legal obligations when it comes to the rights of women. This includes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women.
For example, the Taliban are obligated under Article 3 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 3 of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to ensure that both men and women are free to enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Article 6 of the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, states that signatories need to recognize the right to work, including the right of everyone to the opportunity to gain their living by work which they freely choose. This clearly obligates the Taliban to allow women back into the workplace.
Furthermore, Article 8 of CEDAW states women must be able to participate in the work of international organizations, while Article 11 stipulates that there should be no discrimination against women in employment and that the right to work is an inalienable right of all human beings.
This is clear-cut international law that the Taliban, whether it likes it or not, is obligated to uphold to keep women safe.
This can be achieved in two ways.
First, the Taliban need to respect international law and guarantee the basic human rights of women.
Doing so has obvious benefits if the Taliban care to look beyond its extreme and counterproductive interpretation of Islam.
For example, ensuring women have access to employment would go a long way to digging Afghanistan out of its economic and humanitarian crises.
Before the Taliban takeover, women made up a sizable portion of the civil service, education and healthcare sectors. Allowing them to return to work would boost the economy and would enable women to feed their families.
Allowing women to work for NGOs would also enable local and international organizations to provide aid to help alleviate the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Finally, the Taliban need to ensure that women are safe in their homes and communities and that any violence toward women is not tolerated.
The Taliban need to ensure that women’s safety is guaranteed under the rule of law in Afghanistan. This law needs to be consistent with Afghanistan’s international legal obligation and needs to be upheld by the authorities, such as the police.
While this runs counter to the Taliban’s extreme views on women, it is up to the international community to continue to pressure the movement into making concessions on women’s rights.
After 20 years of relative safety and development, Afghan women are bearing the brunt of a repressive regime that has made their lives restrictive and unsafe. These women deserve to have their rights respected and their safety guaranteed. Anything less is unacceptable.