human rights defender

Tamana Zaryab Paryani

Actions and Campaigns

Urgent support needed

Mental health and trauma support

Security and protection in the host country

HRD's year of birth

1994

HRD's Gender

Woman

Type of HRD

Journalist/Blogger

HRD's thematic area of engagement

Women's rights

HRD's geographical origin

Urban

Current Status

Released on bail

HRD's bio and work

Tamana Zaryab Paryani is a prominent Afghan women's rights activist and former journalist who emerged as one of the first female voices protesting the Taliban’s return to power.

Born in Kabul in 1994, she has a background in journalism and law, and was a parliamentary candidate under the previous Afghan government. After the Taliban takeover in 2021, Tamana co-founded the Afghan Women’s Protest Movement and bravely led demonstrations demanding “Bread, Work, Freedom.”

In early 2022, she and her sisters were detained by the Taliban after a video of her pleading for help went viral. Held incommunicado for over a month, her case sparked international outcry. Despite repeated obstacles, she and her four sisters eventually escaped Afghanistan and found refuge in Germany.

Tamana remains a powerful symbol of resistance against gender-based oppression and continues her advocacy for women's rights in exile.

Detained since

Jan 19, 2022

Date of release

Feb 12, 2022

Charge(s)

Anti-government propaganda

Sentence

Not sentenced – detained for several weeks and later released.

Latitude: 34.52316460618633

Longitude: 69.18775118356896

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 Intelligence

Allegations / reports of ill-treatment

During detention, she were reportedly tortured and subjected to severe mistreatment, including beatings, forced ingestion of unknown substances, threats of sexual violence, and other forms of humiliation.

Recent case update / evolution

January–February 2022: Tamana Zaryab Paryani was arrested at her home by armed men on 19 January 2022, detained and reportedly tortured for approximately three weeks alongside her younger sisters, then released around 13–14 February 2022.

Any other relevant documents

https://ishr.ch/defender-stories/human-rights-defenders-story-tamana-zaryab-paryani-from-afghanistan/

https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AA%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7_%D8%B2%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%A8_%D9%BE%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C

https://sputnik.af/20220327/%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%AA%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7-%D8%B2%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D9%BE%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%DA%AF%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%B4-%D9%88-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%B3%D9%88%DB%8C-%DA%AF%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%87-%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86-9694775.html

https://www.bbc.com/persian/afghanistan-60303942

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/women-human-rights-defenders-tamana-zaryab-paryani-and-parwana-ibrahimkhel-abducted-and