Samira Hamidi, Amnesty International's Afghanistan representative: "There is a legitimizing silence around the world regarding the Taliban regime."

Exile gives you security, but it doesn't give you peace. Samira Hamidi, a human rights defender and head of Amnesty International 's Afghanistan campaigns, says this directly and indirectly at various points in the interview with this newspaper. She last set foot in her country in 2021 and has been unable to return for security reasons, but from London, she works to ensure that the international community does not legitimize the Taliban, protects dissidents, and fights to ensure that the rights of Afghan women are not further trampled. This was the message she also conveyed to the Spanish authorities this week in Madrid.

"The lack of international response, the abandonment, is a huge disappointment. There is a legitimizing silence around the world toward the Taliban regime," he emphasizes.

Born in Kabul 46 years ago, this activist has worked for the European Union, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Women, and embassies in several European countries, always focusing on human rights, especially those of women.

“Four years ago, the Taliban believed they would find the same women they left behind after their first government, between 1996 and 2001, when we were deprived of education and political rights, when we were invisible and vulnerable. But they soon saw that was not the case ,” she says.

Question: How do you work for Afghanistan from exile?

Answer: It's taken me a long time to accept that we lost everything we'd worked so hard for over the years. There are days when I wake up and still can't believe that girls in my country can no longer go to university . We took many risks and worked tirelessly to make Afghanistan a good place for women. But it just wasn't to be. Personally, I miss the hustle and bustle of the streets of Kabul, the pollution, the noise... everything. I have a good, safe life in London, but I don't feel at peace. The only thing that calms me is working like a machine at Amnesty International. Why? Because it's an important partner, and I believe I can help improve the situation in my country, especially for women.

Q. Is this part of the message you have conveyed to the Spanish authorities?

A. I wanted to emphasize to the officials I met the need to establish an accountability mechanism to hold the Taliban accountable. I also asked them to maintain and increase their support for Afghan women , both those who are here and those who have been waiting in other countries for visas to come to Spain. I know these are lengthy processes, but it would be very positive if they could be expedited.

There are days when I wake up and still can't believe that girls in my country can no longer go to university. We took many risks and worked tirelessly to make Afghanistan a good place for women.

Q. What do the women activists who remain in Afghanistan tell you?

A. For 20 years, we educated ourselves, fully entered the workforce, traveled, became part of society, and contributed a lot to that society. It was an awakening to our rights. The Taliban believed they would find the same women they left behind after their first government between 1996 and 2001, when we were deprived of education and political rights, when we were invisible and vulnerable. But they saw that was not the case. They realized there was more resistance and, above all, a united voice from women, inside and outside Afghanistan. The women who have stayed and continue working for the country from within challenge the Taliban every day . Their mere presence is a way of resisting. They are the truly brave; they know the risks they run and find a thousand tactics to move forward .

Q. Can you tell us about an activist who has had a particular impact on you?

A. In Afghanistan, there aren't many men who publicly defend the right of girls and young women to study. That's why I'd like to remember one of them, Matiullah Wesa , who was arrested in 2023 and imprisoned for seven months. His home was raided, and part of his family, especially his mother, was humiliated. It hurt me deeply. He's a very brave activist, who remains in the country to this day.

Q. Do you sense a silence or a normalization of the Taliban by the international community?

A. The lack of international response and abandonment are a huge disappointment. There is a legitimizing silence around the world toward the Taliban regime. But we continue to publish data and reports and put pressure on governments, the UN, and other international stakeholders. Amnesty International has 10 million members, and the commitment and mobilization of these people is our greatest strength. For example, in January, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) requested that arrest warrants be issued against the Taliban's supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and another senior leader of the fundamentalists for their alleged responsibility in the crime against humanity of gender persecution in Afghanistan. This good news doesn't happen automatically; there's a lot of work, activism, and pressure behind it.

The women who have stayed and continue to work for the country from within challenge the Taliban every day. Their very presence is a way of resisting.

Q. What presence does Amnesty International have in Afghanistan, and how does it manage to produce its reports exposing the abuses committed in the country?

A. Unfortunately, we don't have any members of our organization on the ground, due to the extreme risks involved in working to defend human rights in Afghanistan. Our reports are compiled through contact with protesters, journalists, women, and activists who remain in the country, with whom we find safe channels of communication. We have to be very careful because we can't protect them, and Amnesty International is a well-known organization not particularly liked by the Taliban. We also conduct many interviews with groups in exile and evacuees, and, depending on the issue, we rely on other means, such as satellite images, to gather the necessary information.

Q. When was the last time you were able to send researchers to Afghanistan?

A. I left Afghanistan in 2018 when I joined Amnesty International, although I traveled frequently for work. I haven't returned since 2021 for security reasons. In 2022, two non-Afghan researchers from the organization were able to go to Afghanistan to work on two reports: one on the situation of women and another on deportations and the situation at the borders. We've published several reports since then, and I don't think the Taliban would authorize our presence now.

Q. The Taliban have issued more than 100 edicts, many of them aimed at obscuring women. Is there one that has particularly hurt or surprised you?

A. The ban on women training to work in the health sector. We won't have any more female doctors, nurses, or midwives. Who will care for the women? Afghanistan is a very traditional country, and in some parts of the country, a male doctor cannot examine a patient. What will happen in these areas of the country when a woman gives birth or has a serious health problem?

We won't have any more female doctors, nurses, or midwives. Who will take care of the women?

Q. There have also been reports of a worrying increase in child marriages.

A. That's another tragedy. Forced marriages were still being registered in some parts of the country before the Taliban returned, but they were declining because for the first time we had a law protecting women and criminalizing these practices. There was also a specific court for this type of abuse and even shelters to protect women and girls. The progress was enormous. I remember a few years ago visiting a remote rural area in the Bamiyan region, and there, a group of uneducated female farmers told me they had sent their daughters to study in the city because they didn't want them to stay in the village and marry young. The mentality was changing.

Q. These days we are also witnessing an increase in the deportation of Afghans from Pakistan, which, according to the UN, reached 30,000 in April .

A. These forced repatriations violate the principle of non-refoulement, that is, a person's right not to be returned to a country where they risk serious violations of their most basic rights . This is the case with Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in Pakistan, especially women, who fled for their lives. We therefore continue to urge the Pakistani authorities to respect this right.