Afghanistan: Women beaten for demanding their rights

"We want equal rights, we want women in government," dozens of female protesters chanted as they marched down a street in Kabul on Wednesday.

Women are taking to the streets to demand their rights

A day earlier, the Taliban had announced their interim cabinet of ministers. There are no women in it, and they've also abolished the women's affairs ministry.

"We cannot accept this, and that's why we came out," Sara (name changed) told the BBC. It was the second demonstration she was participating in over the past week.

"We were marching peacefully. Then I saw 4-5 vehicles with about 10 Taliban fighters in each of them, following us," said Jia (name changed), another protester.

The women say they were stopped, lashed with whips, and beaten with batons that emit electric shocks.

"They struck my shoulder twice. I could feel pain all over my body. It still hurts and I can't move my arm," Jia said. "They also used a lot of bad words and abused us. It's too shameful for me to repeat the names they called us."