Nearly three decades after an Afghan woman named Zarmina was executed before thousands of spectators at a Kabul stadium, human rights activists are warning that women in Afghanistan could again be facing severe abuses under Taliban rule. The renewed concerns come as restrictions on women have intensified since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
The Execution That Shocked the World
On November 16, 1999, Zarmina was taken to Kabul's Olympic Stadium, where about 30,000 people had gathered.
She had been sentenced to death for the killing of her husband, a police officer named Alauddin Khwazak. Before her execution, she had spent years in prison after being accused of the murder.
Footage secretly recorded by activists from the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) later brought international attention to her case.
The recording showed Zarmina being taken onto the football pitch surrounded by armed Taliban guards before she was killed.
Her identity was not widely known at the time. Years later, reports revealed that she was a mother of seven who had endured prolonged domestic abuse.
A Family Tragedy Behind the Case
Zarmina married Khwazak when she was just 16.
According to accounts later published about the case, her husband became increasingly violent and suspicious of her. The abuse reportedly extended to two of their daughters, Najeba and Shaista.
After months of violence, Zarmina and Najeba allegedly plotted to stop the abuse. Khwazak was poisoned and later killed with a hammer.
The family initially claimed that robbers had attacked the house, but Khwazak's brother became suspicious and contacted the Taliban.
Zarmina was subsequently arrested and severely beaten during interrogation before eventually confessing to the killing.
She reportedly spent about three years in Kabul's central prison, where she remained separated from most of her children.
What Happened to Her Children
The consequences extended beyond Zarmina herself.
Her daughters Najeba and Shaista, together with their brother Hawad, were reportedly placed under the control of Khwazak's brother in accordance with the customs imposed at the time.
The daughters were later reportedly sold to a man in Khost, an area that was then associated with the Taliban and an al-Qaeda training camp.
Zarmina eventually revealed that Najeba had been involved in her husband's death, although she had initially claimed responsibility herself in an attempt to protect her daughter.
Her situation became even more complicated when Khwazak's family demanded her death under the system of blood revenge that operated under the Taliban.
The Final Moments
Zarmina reportedly believed she was going to be publicly whipped rather than executed.
She wore several dresses beneath her blue burqa in an attempt to lessen the impact of the expected punishment.
Instead, she was taken to the stadium.
Accounts of the event say she was driven around the stadium while spectators shouted and pleaded over her fate. Her children were reportedly among those watching.
When she realised that she was facing execution, she attempted to resist.
The secret recording made by RAWA activists eventually became an important piece of evidence documenting the treatment of women under the Taliban's first period of rule.
Zarmina was subsequently buried in an unmarked grave in northern Kabul.
Why Her Story Matters Again
The case has gained renewed relevance because the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 after the withdrawal of US forces and the collapse of the previous Afghan government.
Since then, Afghan women and girls have faced sweeping restrictions on education, employment, movement and public life.
Human rights organisations fear that punishments against women may increasingly take place away from public view, making abuses harder to document.
Shaharzad Akbar, an Afghan human rights advocate from Rawadari who now lives in exile, said her organisation has documented increasing restrictions on women's rights and freedoms.
“The Taliban have in the past two years moved most of the floggings away from the public eye and they severely restrict any filming and photography of these punishments,” Akbar said.
She warned that limited access to information could mean serious abuses are happening without the outside world knowing about them.
Concerns Over Hidden Abuses
Akbar said her organisation had also received a report concerning the stoning of a woman, although she said details could not be disclosed because of safety concerns.
Her warning is that the current environment makes documenting such incidents increasingly difficult.
“Considering the pattern we have documented and the increasing limitations on access to information, there may be severe and inhumane punishments of women and men away from the eyes of the world,” she said.
She also pointed to the Taliban's expanded surveillance capabilities, which she said have made it harder for people to document alleged human rights violations.
Restrictions on Women Have Deepened
The concerns go beyond corporal punishment.
Under Taliban rule, girls and women have been excluded from secondary and university education, while restrictions have also been placed on employment and participation in public life.
Human rights groups have also raised concerns about restrictions on women's freedom and reports of rules that place women at increased risk of domestic abuse and forced or child marriage.
The changes have reversed many of the freedoms Afghan women gained during the two decades between the Taliban's first government and its return to power.
Executions Since the Taliban Returned
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has documented 12 judicially sanctioned executions since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
No woman is known to have been among those executions, according to the information available in the supplied report.
However, activists fear that the lack of transparency surrounding punishments could make it difficult to determine the full scale of abuses.
What Happens Next?
Human rights organisations are expected to continue documenting restrictions and alleged abuses while calling for greater international attention to the situation of Afghan women.
The major obstacle is access to reliable information. Restrictions on journalists, activists, photography and public documentation can make it difficult to independently verify what happens inside the country.
That is why Zarmina's story remains significant.
Her execution was secretly recorded and eventually reached the outside world. Activists now fear that similar victims could suffer without their stories ever being documented.
The question facing human rights groups is therefore not only whether abuses are occurring, but whether the world will be able to see them.