Nikbakht

Nikbakht was an Afghan woman who had been imprisoned for about 25 years in a dark and dilapidated room in the city of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, by her brothers. She was rescued in 2023 by security forces affiliated with the Taliban administration and was transferred to Kabul's Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital for treatment.

Background Nikbakht, who was around fifty years old at the time of her rescue, had married many years earlier and, after separating from her husband, had returned to her brothers’ home. According to police statements, due to family disputes and incompatibility with the wife of one of her brothers, she was severely abused and kept in domestic confinement by them. Throughout this period, she lived in a room of about ten square meters without access to sunlight. Ghulam Sakhi, one of Nikbakht's brothers and one of those responsible for her prolonged confinement, expressed remorse in interviews with the media. Khalid Zadran, spokesperson for the Taliban police, stated that she had been under treatment for some time and her condition was improving, but she suddenly deteriorated and passed away.