The family of Afghan female volleyball player Mahjabin Hakimi denied that she was murdered and beheaded by the Taliban, as reported in recent days by international media.
Several media and independent reporters from this part of Asia managed to speak with the family of a young Afghan player Mahjabin Hakimi, and they all denied that she was murdered by Islamic extremists and said that the news about the cause of her death was misleading. According to Rukhshana Media, the athlete actually died about 10 days before the Taliban took power in Kabul, on August 15: the media went back to the Facebook profile of the Mahjabin’s brother, who changed his image on August 7 to a black background, receiving dozens of condolence comments regarding his sister’s death.
At the end of July, Mahjabin’s special immigration visa for the United States was being processed. The 25-year-old, who was an Afghan Special Forces officer, which international media didn’t know of, and volleyball player was thrilled to start a new life but never made it to America. Several weeks later, she died. The investigation of Mahjabin’s death led to her fiancé in whose home in Kabul she was found hanged. The man was arrested but released on bail after which the Taliban came into power and destroyed papers of the ongoing investigation, not just regarding this case but also numerous other cases.
Mahjabin’s family never believed she hanged herself and will continue seeking for truth, but the news that she was beheaded by the Taliban only made the situation worse. The player’s father stated that they have already felt threatened by the Taliban due to Mahjabin’s work with the Afghan Special Forces, so the information of her murder by the Taliban that was reported in the media put them in further danger.
