Women’s rights advocates in Baghlan have urged the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to intervene in the case of Qadriya, a female prisoner and survivor of domestic violence.
Activists say the Taliban have decided to release Qadriya into the custody of her father—despite his previous calls for her execution.
In a letter sent to the UN office in Kabul on Saturday, the advocates appealed for urgent action. They asked UNAMA to use all available resources to protect Qadriya and secure a safe shelter for her.
Local sources informed Afghanistan International that the Taliban handed Qadriya over to her father the same day. In a prior video message from Taliban custody, she expressed grave fears for her life, stating she would be killed if returned to her family home.
The letter mentioned a voice recording, allegedly from inside the prison, believed to be from Qadriya. In it, she reportedly pleads for help from human rights defenders. Activists say she described previous torture by her father, who was also the first to demand her stoning.
In the video, Qadriya said she preferred to remain in Taliban custody rather than return home, unless a safe alternative could be provided.
Activists stressed that the Taliban released her solely on the guarantee of her father. They warned of the serious threat to her life and called on the UN to act immediately.
The letter also referred to a Taliban statement issued on 27 July 2023, when local authorities in Baghlan province announced plans to publicly stone two individuals—Qadriya and a man named Atiq—on charges of “illicit relations.”
In a recently obtained video, Qadriya explains that her father filed a complaint in a Taliban court two years ago, seeking her stoning. At the time, she was enduring abuse in her father’s home and fled to her sister’s residence in Kabul for refuge.
