aliban Fighters beat female protesters on Saturday as they violently dispersed a rare demonstration Kabul.
About 40 women marched in front of the Ministry of Education in the Afghan capital chanting ‘bread, work and freedom’.
However, the protest quickly spread when fighters started firing their rifles into the air.
Some female protesters who took refuge in nearby shops were chased and beaten by Taliban fighters with their rifle butts.
The protesters carried a banner that read “August 15 is a black day” while demanding rights to work and political participation.
“Justice! Justice! We’ve had enough of ignorance,” they chanted, many without face veils.
“They scattered the girls, tore our banners and confiscated many girls’ cell phones.”
But Munisa Mubariz promised to continue fighting for women’s rights.
“If the Taliban want to silence this voice, it is not possible. We will protest from our homes,” she said.
Some journalists covering the demonstration – the first women’s rally in months – were also beaten by the Taliban fighters, an AFP correspondent reported.
Although the Taliban authorities have allowed and promoted some demonstrations against the US, they have refused permission for women’s gatherings since returning to power.
After taking control last year, the Taliban promised a softer version of the harsh Islamist rule that characterized their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001.
But many restrictions have already been imposed, especially on women, to conform to the movement’s strict view of Islam.
Tens of thousands of girls have been excluded from secondary schools, while women have been denied access to many government jobs.
Women are also not allowed to travel alone on long journeys and are only allowed to visit public gardens and parks in the capital on days separated from men.
In May, the Taliban’s Supreme Leader and Leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, ordered women to cover themselves completely, including their faces, in public, ideally with a burqa.
The UN and human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the Taliban government for imposing restrictions on women.
This policy shows a “pattern of absolute gender segregation and aims to make women invisible in society,” Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, told reporters in Kabul during a visit in May.
On Thursday, Human Rights Watch called on the Taliban to reverse “their horrific and misogynistic” decision to ban women from education.
“This would be a signal that the Taliban are ready to reconsider their most egregious actions,” Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghan researcher with the rights group, said in a statement.
Some Afghan women initially pushed back against the curbs and held small protests.
But the Taliban soon rounded up the ringleaders, holding them incommunicado while denying they had been detained.
“Unfortunately, the Taliban came from the intelligence service and fired into the air,” said Zholia Parsi, one of the organizers of the march.