Taliban Frees 22-Year-Old Female Athlete After 13 Days in Captivity

A 22-year-old Afghan woman who was reportedly running a taekwondo gym for girls has been released after spending 13 days in jail, a spokesman for the Taliban's supreme court confirmed.Khadija Ahmadzada was detained for being in violation of rules regarding women's sports gyms, a spokesman for the Taliban's ministry of vice and virtue told the BBC.Sports clubs have been closed to women since 2021, shortly after the Taliban returned to power. At the time, it was said they would reopen once a safe environment - which does not contravene the Taliban's strict interpretation of Islamic law - had been established.As of January 2026, no sports club has reopened, while women are still unable to compete. It is one of a raft of measures that have been imposed on women by the Taliban since 2021, which have seen their rights to education and work curtailed as well as strict rules around clothing imposed.Ahmadzada, who lives near the western city of Herat, was detained with a number of other people after violations were observed by vice and virtue inspectors, the ministry spokesman said. She was accused of not wearing a proper hijab, playing music and allowing genders to mix in her gym and sentenced to 13 days in jail. The spokesman said she had been given multiple warnings.The case was then referred to the supreme court, which announced she would be released on Thursday 22 January. It is unclear where she is now.News of Ahmadzada's arrest led to an outcry on social media, attracting the attention of Richard Bennett, the United Nations' special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, who posted online calling for her immediate release. He also highlighted the case of female journalist Nazira Rashidi, in the northern city of Kunduz, who was detained in late December.Taliban spokesmen deny her detention is related to her work as a journalist, according to local media.}