Women in Afghanistan: "Help me, my life is in danger"

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Kabul has been in a state of emergency for days.

An Afghan filmmaker flees because she is afraid for her life.

Sahraa Karimi / Director

»The Taliban are here.

I have to get out of here. "

Sahraa Karimi stands for many things that have been in danger in their country since the Taliban came to power.

She is the first woman in Afghanistan to earn a PhD in directing and screenwriting.

In 2019 she screened her film about three Afghan women at the Venice Film Festival.

Sahraa Karimi / Director

»You can live under the rule of the Taliban, but it is a pathetic life.

Life is not all about food and nice clothes.

It's about creativity, it's about art, it's about culture, it's about free thinking. "

For years, female media workers have been one of the most vulnerable groups in the country.

In December 2020, the TV presenter Malalai Maiwand was shot together with her chauffeur on the way to her office in Jalalabad.

In addition to her work, she also campaigned for more women's rights.

In March, three employees of a TV station were shot dead on the street.

Katja Gloger / Reporters Without Borders

»The news that is reaching us is very, very worrying.

In cities and in the provinces, the Taliban sometimes go from house to house, specifically looking for information and proving that journalists have worked with foreign media, for example, or worked for the previous Afghan government, which they did not recognize.

Some of them are seriously threatened. "

With the withdrawal of NATO troops, the situation for women journalists has deteriorated further.

And although the Taliban had declared several times in the past few days that women are allowed to work, Shabnam Dawran, one of the most famous presenters of state television, is no longer allowed to appear in front of the camera.

On Twitter, she published a cry for help.

Shabnam Dawran / TV presenter

»My name is Shabnam Dawran. I have been working as a journalist for the Mili television station for six years. When I heard that the Taliban had now taken power and that there were new rules, I gathered all my courage: I went to work anyway. But Taliban soldiers forbade me to go into my office. They told me the government has now changed. And they said: You are not allowed to work, go home! I ask the world, help me, my life is in danger. "

The CNN reporter Clarissa Ward also experiences on the streets of Kabul how dangerous the situation is.

She has been working for the American broadcaster since 2015 and stayed after the takeover.

She speaks to residents and asks Taliban fighters about women's rights.

Millions of people get a glimpse of the conquered Afghan capital.

Taliban fighter

"She should cover her face first!"

Clarissa Ward / Reporter

"He told me to cover my face."

Katja Gloger / Reporters Without Borders

»It is of course incredibly important for all of us to receive information from on-site that is as authentic as possible and as independent as possible.

Our greatest respect goes to courageous journalists like Clarissa Ward from CNN, who are in Kabul and take to the streets there in an impressive manner, contacting the Taliban, fighters who patrol the streets.

Sometimes quite depressing, dangerous situations.

Above all as a woman. "

Clarissa Ward / Reporter

“Some of the Taliban fighters are just so adrenaline.

It's a very critical situation. "

Filmmaker Sahraa Karimi has managed to leave Kabul, even if it didn't look like it at first.

The chaos at Kabul airport was too big.

Sahraa Karimi / Director

»The moment we missed the first plane to

board

was the saddest of my life.

I thought we can't escape now.

But then we tried again. "

She and her family leave their home country with a Turkish machine.

She is now in Ukraine and worries for anyone who faces reprisals from the Taliban.

Sahraa Karimi / Director

»The Taliban are afraid of educated, independent women.

The Taliban cannot be officially recognized.

If the Taliban gets international recognition, they will set up their own government and there will be many negative consequences. "

For most of the Afghan journalists and their families, leaving the country is the only option if they want to live in safety.

The Afghan television channel ZAN TV, which produces by women for women, has not been on the air for days.

It is unclear how many women fear for their lives in Afghanistan at the moment.

Katja Gloger / Reporters Without Borders

»

That the situation for journalists and women in Afghanistan will not improve, but that it can be assumed that it will get worse, although the Taliban are so moderate at the moment that the situation will get worse - I'm afraid we have to assume that.

«