Purple Saturdays Movement: Taliban's Ministry of Virtue and Vice Violates Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

The movement's statement, released on Thursday (July 11), says that the Taliban's Ministry of Virtue and Vice has turned the enforcement of Sharia law into a tool for repression and interference in various spheres of society, even the "most private" aspects of Afghan citizens' lives, and "has engaged in harassment, insult, humiliation, inquisition, arrest, torture and even murder of citizens, especially women."

"One of the clear examples of these crimes is the murder of Marina Sadat, a 23-year-old young girl," the movement said.

The statement says that Marina Sadat's brother told the Purple Saturdays Movement that "Marina Sadat, 23, was arrested on Wednesday, December 19, 2023, by Taliban's Virtue and Vice Ministry agents in the Dasht Barchi are of Kabul for not having the clothing desired by the group, and after 23 days, her lifeless body was found on January 11, 2024, in the Chok Argandy area of ​​Paghman district, Kabul province."

"Marina was buried with all her dreams in Karte Sakhi district of Kabul. The Taliban arrested and imprisoned Marina's parents around February 14, and they have been in Taliban prison for over 147 days," it added.

The Purple Saturdays Movement is calling for justice for Marina Sadat and the immediate release of her parents from Taliban prison, and is urging the Afghan people, especially protesting women, to raise their voices for this demand.

The movement has also called on the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to pressure the Taliban to immediately release Marina Sadat's parents.

The Purple Saturdays Movement welcomes the recent report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on the Taliban's Ministry of Virtue and Vice, but calls on UNAMA not to focus solely on this ministry and not to ignore the "crimes of the entire self-proclaimed Taliban government".

The movement emphasizes that "the Ministry of Virtue and Vice is only part of the Taliban's repressive apparatus that is responsible for enforcing the decrees and orders of the group's leader, and continues its work by creating fear and intimidation, repression and creating an extremist and terrorist society."

The movement also emphasizes that UNAMA, the United Nations and the international community should pressure the group instead of whitewashing and supporting the Taliban, and demand the dissolution of the "repressive" Ministry of Virtue and Vice.