Life for women has come to a standstill in Afghanistan. Under Taliban rule, they are leading a constrained and helpless existence. They are restricted in every aspect, facing new fatwas regularly. The practice of stoning women to death is being revived by the Taliban government. Stoning them to death will be implemented as punishment for adultery.

In an audio message broadcasted on national TV last Saturday (March 23rd), Taliban’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada made this announcement, reported by The Guardian.

In a video circulated via Telegram, Akhundzada stated, “International communities advocating for women’s rights are against Sharia law. You claim stoning women to death is a violation of women’s rights. But we will soon enforce punishment for adultery. We will inflict harm on women in public. We will stone them to death in front of the public.

” He further expressed, “The capture of Kabul doesn’t mark the end of the Taliban’s work; it’s just the beginning.” Human rights workers have expressed outrage at such statements, believing that the international community’s silence could embolden the Taliban government.

Safiya Arefi, a lawyer and head of the Afghan human rights organization Women’s Window of Hope, commented on the matter. She believes that this announcement harks back to the darkest days of Taliban rule in the 1990s. She said, “Now, no one stands by Afghan women to save them from Taliban’s punishment. The international community prefers to remain silent on the issue of women’s rights violations.”

An Afghan researcher at Human Rights Watch, Sahar Fetrat, said, “Two years ago, they didn’t have the audacity to stone women to death in public; now they will. They have gradually tested their harsh policies and have reached this stage because no one is accountable for their abuses.”

Since the Taliban came to power in 2021, Afghan women have faced numerous challenges. In a war-torn country, they have no access to education, employment, or public gatherings. A young female student lamented, “For many families in the country, the only future for girls is marriage. They are deeply disappointed. In the past two years, the suicide rate among girls has increased significantly. It’s heartbreaking.