'Afghan women meet in Albania in ‘act of defiance’ against Taliban crackdown'

[RaspberryParade]

Incredible bravery, may they be protected.
"More than 130 Afghan women have gathered in Albania at an All Afghan Women summit, in an attempt to develop a united voice representing the women and girls of Afghanistan in the fight against the ongoing assault on human rights by the Taliban.
Some women who attempted to reach the summit from inside Afghanistan were prevented from travelling, pulled off flights in Pakistan or stopped at borders. Other women have travelled from countries including Iran, Canada, the UK and the US where they are living as refugees."

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/sep/11/afghan-women-summit-taliban-albania

Wow. The bravery needed to do something which should be utterly mundane.

That’s incredible. They are so resolute in the face of absolute inhumanity. I wish we could do more to support them.

This thread reminds me I haven’t heard much about the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan recently. Are they still active does anyone know?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Association_of_the_Women_of_Afghanistan

In any case, the meeting in Albania is a rare moment of hope in an incredibly bleak situation.

The summit, which has been two years in the making, is being hosted by the Albanian government in Tirana after multiple other governments across the region refused, said the organisers.

Why the reluctance? Where were the UK, the EU, in this?

Good on Albania for stepping up.

It's horrifying that other governments refused. Not as horrifying as the collaboration by Pakaistan, although the latter much less surprising.

Excellent question to ask your MP.

That is heartening.

Well done to Albania, and such true bravery from Afghan women. Indeed, where are all the loudest western governments in this?

It does say that other countries “in the region” refused, which I understood to mean South/West Asia with Albania as a compromise option. Presumably travel is difficult and expensive for participants and they wanted to be as close to Afghanistan as possible. I realise several participants will have traveled from western countries, but I imagine most will be travelling from countries neighbouring Afghanistan and want to be as close to home as possible. They may also want to position themselves as independent from what could be perceived as western geopolitical interests at home so want to maintain some independence. Would be interested to know if they get any assistance from the UN though.

I suspect Albania was picked as a host because of fears other nations wouldn't issue visas to travel to many of these women due to fears they'd abscond / it'd inflame the far right. Or the visa costs would be too prohibitive.

Albania seems to be somewhere that people go to because they weren't permitted to go to elsewhere in Europe and the Albanian government are generally keen to capitalise on this. There's definitely an image drive to make themselves look more respectable to western eyes (tourism incentive) whilst still wishing to appeal to those outside the western bubble.

It's also an excellent alternative travel hub.

Wankers

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/10/14/taliban-bans-all-images-of-living-things

Surely the fish on restaurant menus are dead things rather than living things?

Article in this week's Private Eye. China, UAE, Uzbekistan and now Pakistan have re-established diplomatic ties with the Taliban.

Hope the text shows up

Yeah, that shows up fine. And what sad tale it is. Push comes to shove, it's not on anyone's priority list, si it?

People are much more worried about men in dresses!

By which I don't mean Arab males. 🤣

Iran is now deporting line women back to Afghanistan

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/07/iran-rushes-deportation-4-million-afghans-deadline-women-repression

Fuck.

And these are the refugees we should be welcoming & prioritising.

Fucking barbarians. Both sides.

lone women not line women sorry

You read that piece, and, at the end of the day, no politicians give a shiny shit, do they? Trump, the EU, Putin, Starmer, none of them. If they had an agenda of twenty important issues to discuss, it wouldn't even make the list.

More detail from this English language Afghan news site.

Iran has deported 300,000 Afghans in the past 12 days, but that's according to the Taliban

https://amu.tv/184818/

4th anniversary of the Taliban regaining power.

1st item on women's hour.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002h094?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Fowzia Koofi, former speaker in parliament noting that it is women who will defeat the Taliban.

Obituary of Razia Jan who ran schools for girls in Afghanistan

https://www.economist.com/obituary/2025/08/14/razia-jan-insisted-on-educating-afghanistans-girls

Men celebrating the anniversary

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/15/celebrations-anniversary-taliban-afghanistan-kabul-flower-shower

Best humans ever.

Crackdowns on secret beauty salons

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/aug/30/taliban-crackdown-afghanistan-secret-beauty-salons-women-gender-apartheid

If every man in the Taliban found himself slowly rotting away, starting with his dick & ending with his brain, so that he could ideally remain conscious through the whole process, I think that would make a lot of women very happy.