human rights defender

Manizha Seddiqi

Actions and Campaigns

Urgent support needed

Medical assistance. Manizha Seddiqi suffers from serious health issues, including breathing difficulties, caused by the severe stress of her detention, and urgently requires medical treatment.

Financial support. She lacks work documentation, facing extreme economic hardship and insecurity.

Relocation to a safer place for herself and her family due to ongoing threats. Recently, she received threats via WhatsApp.

Organization affiliation

Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women

HRD's year of birth

1957

HRD's Gender

Woman

Type of HRD

NGO member

HRD's thematic area of engagement

Women's rights

HRD's geographical origin

Urban

Current Status

Released

HRD's bio and work

Manizha Seddiqi, from Parwan Province, Afghanistan, is a women’s rights activist and former member of the “Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women" protesters. She joined protests advocating for women’s education and human rights, opposing Taliban policies.

Detained since

Oct 9, 2023

Date of release

Apr 6, 2024

Charge(s)

Anti-government propaganda

Sentence

One and a half years in prison

Latitude: 34.522746028534314

Longitude: 69.182625366973

Geolocation of detention

Country or area of detention

Region of detention

Asia: Southern Asia

Location of detention - City/Town

Kabul

Location of detention - Facility

Directorate 40 of General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI)

Allegations / reports of ill-treatment

Upon arrest, Manizha Seddiqi was struck on the shoulder with the butt of a rifle and transferred to Directorate 40 prison, where detainees are reportedly subjected to various forms of torture. During her detention, she endured severe physical and psychological abuse, including sexual assault — once at Directorate 40 and again at Pul-e-Charkhi prison. She was held without legal representation or family contact, coerced into a forced confession agreeing not to leave the country and to cooperate with the Taliban’s Intelligence Directorate, and faced threats and intimidation. These experiences left her deeply traumatized, with lasting psychological effects.

Recent case update / evolution

Manizha Seddiqi was arrested on October 9, 2023, in Kabul by Taliban forces and initially held for two months in the Taliban Intelligence Directorate.

She was later sentenced to one and a half years in prison for allegedly burning a photo of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. She refused to accept the verdict and protested. Her family was forced to pay $5,000 to the Taliban, and three family members acted as guarantors. She was also coerced into a forced confession, agreeing not to leave the country and to cooperate with the Taliban’s Intelligence Directorate (Directorate 40). She transferred to Pul-e-Charkhi prison on December 5, 2023.

Manizha Seddiqi was released on April 6, 2024 under a general amnesty for Eid al-Fitr.

Any other relevant documents

https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa11/7611/2024/en/

https://kabulnow.com/2024/07/afghanistans-future-is-defined-by-its-womens-movement/

https://srmo.uk/?p=1453

https://paigah- news.com/%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9% 81-%D9%85%D9%86%DB%8C%DA%98%D9%87- %D8%B5%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%82%DB%8C- %D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87- %D9%88%D8%B3%D8%B9%D8%AA- %D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86/

https://www.independentpersian.com/tags/%D9%85%D9%86%DB%8C%DA%98 %D9%87-%D8%B5%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%82%DB%8C