Afghan Women Barred from Taliban’s Fourth Anniversary Celebrations Amid Protests

KABUL – Afghan women were conspicuously absent from official celebrations marking the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power on Friday, August 15, 2025. While an estimated 10,000 men gathered across the capital, Kabul, to witness Defense Ministry helicopters scatter flowers and listen to speeches from key Cabinet members, women were explicitly excluded from the events.

This exclusion underscores the sweeping restrictions imposed by the Taliban since seizing control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, following the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. Women have been prohibited from entering parks and recreational areas since November 2022, effectively barring them from several designated ‘flower shower’ locations. The anniversary program itself was exclusively for men, with an anticipated outdoor sports performance featuring Afghan athletes ultimately canceled.

International rights groups, foreign governments, and the United Nations have consistently condemned the Taliban’s severe interpretation of Islamic law, which has resulted in women and girls being denied education beyond sixth grade, access to many jobs, and most public spaces.

In defiance of the restrictions, Afghan women staged indoor protests on Friday, including in Takhar province and the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. The United Afghan Women’s Movement for Freedom declared, “This day marked the beginning of a black domination that excluded women from work, education, and social life. We, the protesting women, remember this day not as a memory, but as an open wound of history.”

Adding to the somber mood, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a stern warning earlier in the day, stating that God would severely punish Afghans who were ungrateful for Islamic rule. His comments, shared on social platform X, emphasized the sacrifices made to establish Sharia law and urged gratitude, threatening divine retribution for ingratitude.

The anniversary comes as Afghanistan grapples with a deepening humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by climate change, the expulsion of millions of Afghans from neighboring countries, and a significant reduction in donor funding.

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