Toronto Star Referrer

‘We don’t know if she is alive or not’

Medical student who was raped, forced to marry Taliban official reportedly abducted in Pakistan

MARJAN SADAT STAFF REPORTER MATIULLAH SHIRZ AD

The family of a woman whose story of prison rape and forced marriage to a former Taliban official garnered an international outcry says she has been abducted from Pakistan, returned to Afghanistan and is again behind bars.

Three months have passed since 24-year-old Elaha Dilawarzai, a medical student, posted a video alleging that Saeed Khosty, the former spokesperson of the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior and a senior member of the Haqqani network, had raped her in prison and then forcibly married her.

Eventually, Dilawarzai managed to flee to Pakistan. But now, her family says that the Taliban and their supporters have taken her back to Afghanistan and put her in their intelligence ministry prison.

Dilawarzai’s family sent open letters to international organizations, including the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), and claimed that Dilawarzai mysteriously disappeared from their place of residence in Pakistan two weeks ago.

They said that now, according to their information, she is in Kabul and in the custody of the Haqqani network.

The family said that they have evidence that Dilawarzai is in captivity. They said that before they fled Afghanistan they were threatened by the Haqqani network and Taliban.

The letter states that from prison, Dilawarzai had told a “source” that their residence in Pakistan was revealed by the aid agency that transferred them from Afghanistan to Pakistan.

The letter quoted Dilawarzai’s words from the “source” who was in touch with her in prison a few days back: “The Haqqani network arrested and transferred me to Kabul. Saeed Khosty told me to surrender to the Taliban court so that my family doesn’t get hurt.”

Saeed Khosty did not respond to a request for comment from the Star on WhatsApp. He has previously said he had married Dilawarzai at her request and has denied allegations that he beat her.

In their letter, Dilawarzai’s family asked UNAMA to investigate.

“We don’t know if she is alive or not. We asked the UNAMA office and human rights organizations to free Elaha from the Taliban’s prison,” Dilawarzai’s family said. “Please save Elaha. Set her free.” The Star contacted the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan. “I am not commenting on this case at the moment pending further information,” Richard Bennett replied via WhatsApp.

One of Dilawarzai’s relatives, who does not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, tells the Star that after being transferred from Pakistan to Kabul, Dilawarzai told one of her friends via phone that she was being tortured by the Taliban’s intelligence service. “She is tied in chains.” She added that, based on her information, Dilawarzai was thrown into prison by order of Saeed Khosty, and other women were also imprisoned with her in the jail.

“If the world does not do anything, the Taliban will kill her,” the relative told the Star, speaking in Persian.

A Taliban diplomat in Pakistan was contacted and asked about the claim of Dilawarzai’s transfer back to Afghanistan.

“Our phones are monitored and listened to by officials. I can’t say anything about this issue,” the Taliban’s diplomat told the Star, speaking in Pashto.

On Dec. 5, Amnesty International expressed concern about Dilawarzai’s condition.

“Elaha’s family informed Amnesty International on the 30th of November 2022 that she’s currently being held at the Taliban’s intelligence prison. We are concerned as to her safety in these circumstances,” the organization said in a statement.

Amnesty called on the Taliban to immediately and unconditionally release Dilawarzai if she is in their custody.

“In particular, those involved in human rights violations against her, including anyone involved in her alleged forced return to Afghanistan from Pakistan, must be accountable.”

In early September, after Dilawarzai’s accusatory videos were published on social media, she fled Kabul, fearing retaliation from the Taliban.

Dilawarzai and her family members were transferred to Pakistan overnight with the help of an Afghan organization that helps people evacuate. The family has lived in several different places in Pakistan in the last three months.

Three months ago, Dilawarzai claimed that she was arrested at a Taliban checkpoint in Kabul a few months after they returned to power. Then Saeed Khosty raped and forced her into marriage in the detention centre.

She said he also assaulted and tortured her many times during the seven months she lived with him.

In an interview with the Star last month, Dlawarzai said: “I am disappointed with everyone. The world is still rolling the red carpet under the feet of the Taliban, while many women are brutally tortured in Taliban prisons.”

Under the Taliban, Afghan women have been deprived of their rights, including the right to secondary education, and recently have been banned from visiting parks, women’s public baths or gyms.

NEWS

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2022-12-08T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-08T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://thestarepaper.pressreader.com/article/281758453325182

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