Frozan Safi, 29, was a very visible women’s rights activist. She was educated and worked as an economics lecturer.
Frozan received a call from an unknown number. She thought her request for asylum had come through. She was told to gather proof of her work as a rights defender. And directed to head to a safe house.
The woman put some documents, including her university diploma, into a bag. She put a black and white scarf over her head and left.
Weeks later her sister Rita, a doctor, identified Frozan in a morgue in Mazar-i-Sharif.
Rita said, “There were bullet wounds all over, too many to count, on her head, heart, chest, kidneys, and legs.” Her engagement ring along with her bag was missing.
On Thursday, Taliban security forces brought the bodies of four people. Two men and two women were shot dead. When the unidentified bodies arrived at the Balkh provincial hospital, Zabihullah Noorani, the Taliban’s director for information and cultural affairs in Balkh suggested they were victims of a “personal feud”.
Taliban Crackdown on women
The Taliban is sticking to their often stated beliefs. Women journalists are now forced to wear a hijab. And Afghan broadcasters have been mandated to cease showing dramas where females have lead roles.