Taliban Rule: Investigation Reveals Alarming Rise in Femicide in Afghanistan

POLICY WIRE — Kabul, Afghanistan — A recent investigation has uncovered a disturbing trend of femicide in Afghanistan, revealing that 231 women have been murdered under the Taliban regime, with perpetrators often going unpunished and crimes being covered up by the state.

Liza Shams, a 33-year-old woman, recorded a voice message weeks before her death, pleading with a relative to pray for her. “There’s no end to my days of misfortune,” she said. “Pray that God shames Hasib [her husband, Hasibullah Sarwari] in front of the whole world for what he has done to me.” In another recording, she detailed being beaten by Sarwari while pregnant and subsequently isolated for days, too injured to eat or speak. “I’m a woman, fine, I shouldn’t talk about what happens in my home,” she said. “But I can’t do this any more.”

On February 1, neighbors heard screams — and alerted the police. Earlier that day, Liza’s father, Shamsuddin Shams, received a video call from his daughter showing shocking injuries: “Her jaw was broken and she could hardly talk,” he said, but she managed to convey that her husband had beaten her again. Shamsuddin immediately contacted his other daughters, who took Liza to Rahmat hospital in Kabul. She died about an hour after arrival.

The investigation highlights a systemic issue where men are empowered to commit violent acts against women with impunity. The Taliban’s rule has exacerbated an environment where domestic violence and femicide are rampant, and state authorities often fail to intervene or prosecute offenders.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)