A group of Afghan women on April 29 staged a spontaneous march in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in defiance of Taliban security forces to urge the international community not to recognize the militant group that returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
Since taking power after the exit of international troops, the de facto Taliban rulers have imposed a series of restrictions on Afghan women, including banning them from higher education and many government jobs.
About two dozen women marched in Kabul on April 29 ahead of a summit in Doha on May 1 that the United Nations says will discuss a "durable way forward" for Afghanistan.
"The United Nations will hold a meeting in Doha and they have not invited any women. They want to hold a meeting to recognize the (government) of the Taliban," Julia Parsi, one of the protesters, told RFE/RL.
"Recognition of the Taliban -- a violation of women's rights," and "We will fight and we will die for our rights," the protesters chanted during the minutes-long march that was not suppressed by Taliban security forces.
SEE ALSO: Banned From School, Teenage Afghan Girls Turn To Taliban-Run MadrasahsNo country has recognized the Taliban government as legitimate since the radical militant movement's return to power.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said last week that the Doha summit could take into consideration some "baby steps" on a path to a conditional recognition of the Taliban.
"There are some who believe this can never happen. There are others that say, well, it has to happen," Mohammed told a conference in the United States.
"The Taliban clearly want recognition...and that's the leverage we have," she added.
Earlier this month, the United Nations ordered its 3,300 employees in Afghanistan not to report to their offices for two days as the UN mission in the war-torn country sought further clarification after Taliban rulers appeared to extend a ban on Afghan women working in UN offices.