Protester Women: Afghan Women Will Join Military Fronts If Their Rights Violations Do Not Stop

The movement emphasized that the Taliban, over the past three years, have plunged Afghanistan into deep crises by committing crimes against humanity and enforcing systemic gender discrimination. This situation continues to worsen daily.

The statement reads: "The international community, particularly the United States, instead of taking a firm stance, has adopted a policy of engagement and passivity; a policy that has emboldened the Taliban and shown them complete disregard for accountability, de facto granting them immunity."

The statement further notes that Afghan women, through holding numerous protests and civil movements, have faced various forms of victimization, including "torture, rape, and murder." They have repeatedly called for the international community’s attention and support, but have not received an appropriate response.

It continues, highlighting that not only has the voice of Afghan women gone unheard, but international support for the Taliban under the guise of engagement has increased, while sanctions against the group have decreased. "Therefore, Afghan women can no longer tolerate the international community's dual and passive policies and its indifference toward the Taliban’s oppression."

The Purple Saturdays movement has warned that if the global silence continues, Afghan women may resort to joining "military fronts and intensifying military pressures" to defend their rights and freedoms.

The movement also emphasized: "On the other hand, the Taliban's crimes against humanity are not limited to the oppression of Afghan women; this group has systematically violated the basic rights of Afghan citizens, particularly vulnerable ethnic groups and religious minorities. They have committed apartheid, war crimes, forced displacement, and other inhumane actions, establishing a self-declared and ethnocentric regime, carrying out targeted oppression and suppression."

While emphasizing its commitment to peaceful struggles, the Purple Saturdays movement has called for increased comprehensive pressure and the imposition of stricter sanctions against the Taliban. It also warned that legitimizing the Taliban in international meetings is a blatant violation of international law and must be halted.

The movement has urged the international community, especially the new U.S. government, to correct its previous "wrong" policies toward the Taliban. This includes imposing targeted sanctions, increasing diplomatic and political pressures, and "isolating this group while supporting military pressures and taking decisive actions for the overthrow of the Taliban government."

The Purple Saturdays movement has also requested the U.S. government to "demonstrate its commitment to human rights and global justice by arresting and prosecuting Taliban leaders, particularly Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, who has a $10 million reward for his capture." "Only practical and decisive actions can demonstrate real and effective support for Afghan women and prevent the escalation of the crisis in the country."

The movement has also called on the United Nations to stop whitewashing and normalizing the Taliban’s presence in international meetings and "political mediation." It should increase coordinated pressure on the Taliban by creating and advancing a continuous human rights discourse at the global level. The United Nations is also urged to make sincere and serious efforts to establish judicial processes for the prosecution of Taliban leaders, sending a clear message to the Taliban and other similar groups around the world.