A teenage girl has spent 21 months in a Taliban prison, enduring torture, after refusing to marry an influential local commander. Bibi Sediqa, who is now 17, was reportedly forced into the commander Mawlawi Khodainazar's home when she was 12 to settle a debt her father owed.
Khodainazar allegedly used armed intimidation to pressure Bibi's father into consenting to the marriage. Although a Taliban court initially ruled in the girl's favor, Khodainazar reportedly influenced a judge in Badghis province to move the case to a more favorable court. A judge in that court then sentenced Bibi to five years in prison.
Sources indicate that during her imprisonment, Bibi has been subjected to torture in an effort to force her compliance. The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) reported that this treatment, along with a lack of access to justice, has caused her severe psychological trauma. Her mother has also experienced serious health issues due to her daughter's situation.
Recently, Taliban authorities proposed a settlement that would involve Bibi marrying Khodainazar for three days. However, her family states that no practical steps have been taken to implement this, and no independent committee has been appointed to investigate the case. The organization Rukhshana, an independent Afghan media outlet, reported on the case.
Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, members of the group have been reportedly forcing young girls into marriage. Earlier in 2026, the Taliban legalized child marriage if a male relative provides consent. Afghanistan lacks a clear legal minimum age for marriage, and the traditional practice of 'baad,' where young daughters are given to settle debts or disputes, has been revived by the Taliban after being banned in 2009. Under this practice, girls often serve as wives or servants.
The Taliban recently marked five years in power in Afghanistan with military parades and sporting events, from which women and girls were banned from attending. These celebrations included displays of military equipment abandoned during the withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition forces.
Baroness Helena Kennedy, a women's rights campaigner, has urged Britain to pressure allies like India and Qatar, who maintain contact with the Taliban, to address the situation, describing the extreme measures against women as "gender apartheid."