Law students and lawyers in Afghanistan are filing reports with JURIST on the situation there after the Taliban takeover. Here, a female law student reports on what she witnessed during her second visit to the passport office in one of the country’s major cities. For privacy and security reasons, we are withholding her name. The text has only been lightly edited to respect the author’s voice.

I went to the passport office again to have my documents checked and it was the same situation again. This time, there were two Taliban officials with an electroshock weapon [stun gun] and one of the weapons was more advanced.

Regardless of the long queues, it was the same violence again. Disregarding the rights of others waiting there, the Taliban took their own families to the branches [offices] and processed their passports. They scared away any woman who protested with their stun guns, even though the women were following the line this time.

I saw fear in the eyes of all the women there. I was no exception—when I was there, my hands were shaking with fear of being shocked. One Taliban official passed by me with his stun gun at one point. For a moment, I did not notice his presence. When I realized he was near me, I jumped a few steps back from the intensity of fear and my heart was beating fast. My little sister was very scared and clinging on to me.