human rights defender
Zholia Parsi
Actions and Campaigns
Urgent support needed
Psychosocial support to deal with severe psychological and emotional trauma as a result of her detention and ill-treatment
HRD's year of birth
1980
HRD's Gender
Woman
Type of HRD
- Social and community leader
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Women's rights
HRD's geographical origin
Urban
Current Status
Released
HRD's bio and work
Zholia Parsi is an Afghan women’s rights activist and founder of the Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women (SMAW).
After the Taliban took power in 2021 and banned her from teaching, she began organizing protests against gender apartheid and restrictions on women.
Despite threats, arrests, and torture—including her own detention in 2023—she continued her activism.
Detained since
Sep 27, 2023
Date of release
Nov 26, 2023
Charge(s)
- Anti-government propaganda
Sentence
She was not sentenced but held illegally in a detention center for three months without any official court proceedings.
Latitude: 34.51988221044194
Longitude: 69.34802560944671
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Asia: Southern Asia
Location of detention - City/Town
Qala e Fathullah, Kabul
Location of detention - Facility
Pol e Charkhi Prison, Kabul
Alternative mailing address
District 10th, Qala e Fathullah, Kabul, Afghanistan
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
Zholia Parsi lost her hearing as a result of the torture inflicted by the Taliban while in detention. Her right ear had to undergo surgery due to the blows. Her left ear was also damaged and is scheduled to be operated in 2025.
Recent case update / evolution
Released on 26 November 2023
Any other relevant documents
https://www.martinennalsaward.org/fr/hrd/zholia-parsi/
https://nimrokhmedia.com/julia-parsi-no-woman-in-afghanistan-wants-the-taliban-recognized/
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-series/inside-the-talibans-gender-apartheid/i-was-imprisoned-and-tortured-by-the-taliban-for-protesting-gender-apartheid-in-afghanistan/
https://observatoryfordefenders.org/defender/zholia-parsi/
Documented by
