Geneva, Switzerland — Today, the Martin Ennals Foundation announced that Afghan women’s rights activist Zholia Parsi is the co-recipient of the 2024 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders. This distinguished honor is a well-deserved recognition of Zholia and the crucial role she has played in defending women’s rights in Afghanistan. The presentation of the award comes at a time when the Taliban continue to implement laws and policies that effectively erase women from all aspects of public life.
The award places Zholia in the company of other prominent human rights defenders, including Lidia Yusupova, Ahmed Mansoor, and Iham Tohti. Zholia is the ninth woman to be awarded the prize and the first from Afghanistan. The award will be presented during a ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland on November 21. Unfortunately, Zholia will not attend the event due to limitations on her travel; a troubling situation faced by many Afghan activists still seeking safety abroad and an example of why the international community must allocate more resources to providing asylum to endangered Afghans.
“We are delighted that the Martin Ennals Foundation is honoring Zholia Parsi with this award,” said Freedom Now Executive Director Andrea Prasow. “The award is an acknowledgement of Zholia’s unwavering resolve and her steadfast commitment to defending women’s rights despite the Taliban’s efforts to silence her. It is also a reminder of the ongoing struggle of all Afghan women against their oppressors and the need for the international community to lend them support in their efforts to reclaim their rights.”
Zholia began her career as a teacher, studying Farsi at the Takhar Teachers’ Training College while simultaneously working at a prestigious girls’ high school in Kunduz. In 2020, she assumed the role of Executive Manager at the High Peace Council of Afghanistan.
In August 2021, following the fall of Kabul, Zholia found herself unemployed. Her daughters were forced to discontinue their education because of Taliban restrictions on education for women and girls. Motivated by the plight of women and girls across the country, Zholia committed to advocating for their rights. She launched the Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women in September 2021, calling for education, employment, and freedom for women and girls. The movement gained momentum, swelling to 180 members and organizing numerous street protests and gatherings across Kabul and other provinces.
In this work, Zholia faced grave risks, including arrest and detention by Taliban authorities. In September 2023, she was apprehended by Taliban authorities, enduring three months of physical and psychological torture under Taliban custody.
Freedom Now was proud to partner with other Afghan human rights defenders to nominate Zholia for the Martin Ennals Award. Through our work we continue to support Zholia and the efforts of all Afghan women bravely working to restore civil society and defend human rights in their country.