A female human rights activist from Afghanistan says she was raped in prison, and that the Taliban threatened to publish a recording of the assault if she spoke out against their regime.
The purpose of the gang rape, according to the woman, was to silence her. The recording is believed to be the first concrete evidence of sexual assaults against imprisoned Afghan women, reports The Guardian, which has seen the footage.
The woman was arrested when she participated in a public demonstration against the regime, was raped and tortured by the Taliban. She has since fled Afghanistan and received the video when she criticized the Taliban regime in exile. If she did not stop her criticism, the recording would be sent to her family and published on social media, the threat went.
Several Afghan girls and women have testified to The Guardian about sexual assaults and abuse in connection with being arrested for violating the country's strict hijab law.
The Taliban know how much stigma is involved in sexual violence in Afghanistan and how incredibly difficult – often impossible – it is for victims to be believed, says Heather Barr of Human Rights Watch to the newspaper.
