Protest by Afghan human rights defenders in Tehran; Iranian police dispersed them, and the recorded tapes of the protesters were deleted and their mobile phones were taken away.

Kabul Times News | Report: Mansour Sharifi

A number of Afghan human rights defenders held a protest rally in front of the United Nations office in Tehran on Thursday and expressed concern about the intensification of oppression of women in Afghanistan.

Participants in the rally, which was held in solidarity with the protesting Afghan women, especially women from Herat, called for an end to the international community’s silence on what they called “gender apartheid” and widespread violations of women’s rights in Afghanistan.

According to the organizers, the protesters, carrying placards and chanting slogans, called on the United Nations and international organizations to take more practical and effective measures to support Afghan women and hold perpetrators of human rights violations accountable.

According to information provided by the participants, during the rally, Iranian police forces put pressure on the protesters and confiscated the mobile phones of some activists. It has also been reported that some of the images and videos recorded from the rally have been deleted and more forces have been dispatched to the scene to disperse the protesters.

The protesters say they have finally left the rally site to prevent further escalation of tension and clashes.

The participants of the rally, while condemning the arrests, violence and treatment of women in Afghanistan, called on the international community not to remain indifferent to the current situation in Afghanistan and to take immediate and effective measures to protect women's rights and the fundamental freedoms of Afghan citizens.

The rally is being held at a time when concerns about the status of women's rights in Afghanistan and the restrictions imposed on them continue to be the focus of attention of human rights organizations and civil society activists.