Afghan women stage protest outside presidential palace in Kabul

Women stage a protest in Kabul (Wali Sabawoon/AP)

A few dozen protesters have gathered outside the presidential palace in Kabul to urge the country’s Taliban leadership to uphold women’s rights and include women in the government.

At one gate on Friday, around a dozen women held up printed pages calling for “A heroic Cabinet with the presence of women”.

The protesters chanted slogans asserting human rights and saying they did not want to return to the past.

Protesters said women should be included in the government (Wali Sabawoon/AP)

A document circulated by protesters demanded that Afghan women are granted full rights to education, social and political contributions to the country’s future, and general freedoms including free speech.