Dutch broadcaster Avrotros has pulled documentary series Hila voorbij de Taliban from its streaming platforms after the arrest of an Afghan woman who appeared in the programme.

A spokesperson said the decision was taken “in the interest of the safety of the women involved”. The series was broadcast late last year.

The move follows the arrest of journalist Nazira Rashidi and sports teacher Khadija Ahmadzada by the Taliban earlier this month. Ahmadzada featured prominently in the series and spoke openly, and recognisably on camera, about the repression of women in Afghanistan.

Ahmadzada worked as a taekwondo coach and had been giving self-defence classes to women in secret, at a time when women are banned from sport under Taliban rule.

Afghan media report that Ahmadzada and her father were arrested on January 13 in the western province of Herat by the Taliban intelligence service. It is not clear whether her participation in the documentary played a role.

“The fact that a woman who took part in our series is now being detained affects us deeply,” Avrotros said in a statement.

The broadcaster said it had been asked to show restraint while the case is ongoing and would not comment directly on claims that Ahmadzada had not seen and approved the programme before it was broadcast, despite promises she would be able to do so.

“Accusations have been made via social media and some media outlets that do not match the processes which were gone through,” the broadcaster told the NRC. “Given the safety of the woman and her relatives, Avrotros will not give any more details about the agreements or internal processes.”

Avrotros said Rashidi, a local journalist, had no connection to the documentary.

For the series, presenter Hila Noorzai travelled to her country of birth to examine the lives of women under Taliban rule. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions, banning women from secondary and higher education, sharply limiting their ability to work and enforcing strict rules on movement and behaviour in public.

Safety

Noorzai said previously that protecting the safety of the women involved had been a priority during filming and that not everything could be shown.

Last year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity for the persecution of women and girls.

Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said on social media that he was “extremely concerned” about the detentions and called for the women’s immediate release.