Women’s rights advocates in Baghlan have called on the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to intervene urgently in the case of Qadriya, a female prisoner and survivor of domestic violence, who was handed over to her father by the Taliban despite his previous calls for her execution.
In a letter sent to the UN office in Kabul on Saturday, the activists urged UNAMA to take immediate action to protect Qadriya and ensure her transfer to a secure shelter. They warned that Qadriya’s life is in grave danger and that the Taliban released her solely on the guarantee of her father, who was the first to demand her public stoning.
According to local sources, Qadriya was handed over to her father the same day the letter was sent. In an earlier video message recorded from Taliban custody, she had expressed serious fears for her safety, stating she would be killed if returned to her family home.
The letter also referenced a voice recording, allegedly from inside the prison and believed to be from Qadriya, in which she pleads for help from human rights defenders and describes past instances of torture by her father.
Activists cited a Taliban statement dated 27 July 2023, in which local authorities in Baghlan announced plans to publicly stone Qadriya and a man named Atiq on charges of “illicit relations.” In a recently obtained video, Qadriya explained that her father filed the complaint in a Taliban court two years ago, demanding her stoning after she fled their home due to ongoing abuse and sought refuge with her sister in Kabul.
In her video testimony, Qadriya stated she preferred to remain in Taliban custody rather than be released to her family unless a safe alternative was provided. Advocates say her case highlights the urgent need for international intervention to prevent further harm and ensure the protection of vulnerable women under Taliban rule.
