"At first soft, then insistent, the sound echoed through the flat in the Afghan capital, Kabul. Zarmina Paryani and her sisters froze. They had known this day was coming. We always knew the risks of protesting and we were prepared to die on the streets, the 26-year-old activist told the Guardian. But I never imagined they would come for us like that in the middle of the night, breaking into our home."
"As masked men began forcing their way inside, Paryani says she made a desperate decision. I couldn't bear to be taken alive. I couldn't watch them enter our bedroom, violate us or behead us in the night. She jumped from the three-storey window. Zarmina Paryani now lives in exile in Germany with her sisters. Photograph: Sayed Abdali Miraculously, she survived the fall with minor injuries."
On 19 January 2022 masked men attacked the Kabul flat of activist Zarmina Paryani after a viral image of women burning a burqa sparked outrage among Taliban supporters. The protest had been organised via WhatsApp. Militants demanded the women be stoned to death for disrespecting the garment. As men forced their way inside, Paryani jumped from a window to avoid capture, assault or killing and survived with injuries. Her sister recorded a video screaming that the Taliban were outside and sent it to a journalist; the footage was posted on social media and helped prevent their arrest. Paryani lives in exile in Germany with her sisters.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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