Uwazi

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) strongly condemns the arrests of three Hazara women human rights defenders (WHRDs) in Afghanistan. The arrests happened amidst the Taliban’s ongoing gender apartheid and persecution of ethnic and religious minorities.

On 28 March 2024, the Taliban arrested and detained WHRDs Azada Rezaei, Nadia Rezaei, and Elaha Rezaei alongside their brother, Yahya Rezaei. Two of the sisters are minors. In 2022, their sister Tamana was also detained for 29 days.

The Rezaeis’ whereabouts are currently unknown. Taliban representatives have denied involvement, while the Kabul police have failed to provide any information.

FORUM-ASIA calls for the immediate release of the Rezaei siblings. We also call for the safe return of WHRD Manizha Sediqqi, whose health conditions have been deteriorating under detention.

The Taliban’s persecution of human rights defenders

The Rezaei sisters are members of the Afghan Women’s Justice Movement, a women-led initiative that fearlessly challenges the Taliban’s discriminatory policies. The Rezaeis belong to the Shia Hazara community, a persecuted ethnic and religious minority in Afghanistan that has endured a ‘slow genocide’ under the Taliban.

Under Taliban custody, human rights defenders experience torture and ill-treatment, impacting not only their physical health but also their mental well-being. The threats and harassment also extend to their families, including intimidation, house searches, revenge killing, and enforced marriages.

WHRDs are at the forefront of resisting the Taliban’s oppressive regime.

Since the Taliban’s illegitimate takeover in 2021, several protest movements have been courageously and peacefully led by WHRDs despite the country’s shrinking civic space. However, in the absence of accountability, human rights defenders–within Afghanistan and those in exile–face numerous obstacles as they advocate for the protection and promotion of people’s fundamental rights and freedoms.

Call to Action

FORUM-ASIA calls for the immediate release of the Rezaie siblings alongside all other defenders who have been unjustly detained for their legitimate human rights work.

‘FORUM-ASIA urges the international community to hold the Taliban accountable for all its atrocious crimes, demanding them to fully respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people of Afghanistan as protected under the country’s international human rights commitments. The international community must help in providing hassle-free humanitarian visas and in establishing safe resettlement schemes for human rights defenders from Afghanistan. Members of vulnerable ethnic and religious groups–such as the Hazaras–should be prioritised in these resettlement processes,’ said Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA.

We are also calling for greater support for Afghanistan’s civil society organisations and activists, including those in exile, to enable them to resume their invaluable advocacy work. Lastly, we demand the establishment of an international investigative accountability mechanism, which is capable of collecting, preserving, and analysing evidence related to all human rights violations in Afghanistan.

Mohammad Atef Daie, a university professor, has reportedly been sentenced to one year in prison by the Taliban’s military court in Kabul, according to local sources.

Sources confirmed to the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Thursday, February 29th, that the Taliban handed down a “disciplinary imprisonment” to this university professor during this significant month of the year.

The Taliban’s military court imposed a one-year prison term on the professor for allegedly covering the electricity bill of the residence belonging to Zahir Aghbar, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Tajikistan, and for accommodating Mohammad Aatef’s family in Aghbar’s house.

However, other sources suggest that the professor’s imprisonment stems from his activism on social media, where he advocated for girls’ education rights and criticized the Taliban’s actions, particularly regarding women’s rights.

According to these sources, Aatef has been denied legal representation by the Taliban, and his family is permitted only brief “window visits” lasting ten minutes every two weeks at Pol-e-Charkhi prison.

It is noteworthy that the Taliban demanded Mohammad Atef Daie on November 19, 2023, alleging his association with the “02 Intelligence Directorate” of the group before arresting him.

Mohammad Atef Daie previously taught at private universities in Kabul but was recently appointed as an advisor to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Taliban, recommended by the Union of Traders and Investors of the country.

He hails from the Piyawesht district in the Rokha district of Panjshir province.

Local sources have reported that the Taliban detained Jawid Noorzad Kakar, the deputy of student affairs at the Roshan Afghanistan Online University (RAOU) in Kabul.

Sources confirmed to the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Sunday, January 14, that Taliban intelligence forces apprehended him in Kabul five days ago and transferred him to an undisclosed location.

According to sources, the Taliban detained Kakar due to his involvement with the “Roshan Afghanistan Online University (RAOU).”

Established on December 20, 2022, in response to the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education, “Roshan Afghanistan Online University (RAOU)” has since provided online education to several girls.

Efforts by Kakar’s colleagues and family to determine his fate have, so far, yielded no results.

The Taliban have not issued any statement on this matter.

It’s worth noting that, in addition to continuing their restrictions on women and girls, including closing the doors of education to girls above the sixth grade, the Taliban closed university gates to women and girls on December 20 of last year.

The Taliban’s persistent prohibition on women and girls’ education, study, and work has consistently generated widespread domestic and international reactions. However, the group has not yet responded positively to these reactions and demands.

In a recent development in the Ghor province, the Taliban have reportedly detained the chief of a private radio station, Abdul Salam Samim, for broadcasting messages from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

According to reliable local sources speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Friday, January 5th, Samim, the head of Radio Seda-ye Adalat (Voice of Justice Radio), spent a night in Taliban custody two days ago.

The reason behind his arrest, as confirmed by one source, was the dissemination of UNAMA messages through the radio station’s Facebook page.

The UNAMA messages, initially shared with local Ghor media for publication but later removed, underscored the significance of an educated population for a country’s prosperity. It emphasized education as a vital investment in a nation’s development, advocating for a fair and inclusive education system where both boys and girls can learn.

Interestingly, several other media outlets in Ghor also published and subsequently deleted these messages.

As of now, the Taliban in Ghor have not provided any comments on this incident.

The UNAMA, when contacted regarding the matter, has not issued any statements or indicated a potential request for the dissemination of these messages through Ghor media.

However, during a conversation with Hasht-e Subh Daily, a UNAMA employee mentioned that the organization has not been involved in specific projects, especially those related to disseminating awareness messages to local media, over the past two years.

This development is noteworthy given the broader context of the Taliban’s stringent restrictions on media outlets and journalists across the country since their takeover.

A Source within the Unity and Solidarity Women’s Movement in Kunduz Province has revealed the distressing news of a recent suicide within their ranks.

Speaking on the evening of Friday, January 5th, the source informed Hasht-e Subh Daily that the deceased member, identified as Bibi Gul Mohammadi, was laid to rest last Sunday.

Bibi Gul, a participant in a street protest, was detained by the Taliban in Kunduz in late September 2021. During her harrowing two-day captivity, she endured torture, as disclosed by the source.

Upon her release, Bibi Gul faced escalating pressure and restrictions from her family, which included being prohibited from communicating with her friends, according to the source.

The 21-year-old aspiring university student found herself on the brink of taking her entrance exams when the Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan, thwarting her educational aspirations.

Simultaneously, there are reports highlighting the dire economic situation of Bibi Gul, which, coupled with family issues and Taliban restrictions, contributed to her tragic decision to end her life.

A member of the Unity and Solidarity Women’s Movement in Kunduz lamented that Bibi Gul’s case is not isolated, emphasizing that the Taliban has systematically imprisoned and tortured numerous girls, leaving them to grapple with severe psychological issues.

Despite efforts, Hasht-e Subh Daily was unsuccessful in establishing contact with the family of the deceased protester.

It is crucial to note that the confluence of poverty, domestic violence, and the myriad restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women and girls has left them vulnerable to psychological harm, leading to instances of suicide. As of now, the Taliban has refrained from commenting on this tragic incident.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the release of two journalists who were arrested within a week of each other in Afghanistan – one while out reporting and the other after being tried and sentenced behind closed doors. The Taliban authorities must stop hounding independent media, RSF says.

“Press freedom has collapsed since the Taliban retook power in 2021, with journalists being subjected to arbitrary arrest and a crackdown on independent media. We call on the Taliban authorities to release Radio Nasim director Sultan Ali Javadi and Tamadon TV reporter Abdul Rahim Mohammadi immediately and to end their intimidation campaign against media professionals in Afghanistan.

South Asia Desk RSF Neither the GDI nor the local authorities have provided any information about the reason for Mohammadi’s arrest while working in the southern province of Kandahar on 4 December. According to RSF’s information, he was arrested at a Taliban checkpoint for failing to present an identity document and was then placed in detention. Tamadon TV is an independent media outlet that mainly targets Afghanistan’s Shia minority.

Javadi, whose now-closed news and entertainment radio station was based in Nili, the capital of the central province of Daykundi, was sentenced to a year in prison on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” and “spying for foreign and infidel countries” at the end of a trial before a local court that was held behind closed doors and without a lawyer present. He was detained the next day.

Radio silence

Radio Nasim had been persecuted for three months, ever since 27 September, when the Daikundi GDI briefly arrested Javadi and two of his colleagues, Saifullah Rezaei and Mojtaba Qasemi, seized their equipment, and sealed the entrance to the radio station, which has not broadcast since then.

According to RSF’s sources, they were accused of broadcasting content from Radio Azadi, the Afghan branch of the US broadcaster Radio Free Europe (RFE)/Radio Liberty(RL), which was banned from broadcasting in Afghanistan in December 2022.

The three journalists were arrested again at their homes on 7 October for allegedly cooperating with foreign media critical of the Taliban. Rezaei and Qasemi were released after 11 days, while Javadi was not released until 24 October.

Reign of fear

The current crackdown on the media was preceded by the arrests of nine journalists in five provinces in the space of a week in the first half of August. Of the five privately-owned media outlets operating in Daykundi province before the Taliban takeover, three were ransacked after the previous government fell, and the GDI seized the equipment of the others. Radio Nasim’s closure leaves Seday-e-Qarya as the only radio station still operating.

On 19 December, TOLO news journalist Ruhollah Sangar was released after being held by the GDI for two days in Parwan province, north of Kabul. He was arrested on 17 December by members of the Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence while working in the town of Charikar, the capital of Parwan province. The local authorities and the Parwan GDI gave no official reason for his arrest.

Afghanistan is ranked 152nd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2023 World Press Freedom Index. Three journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since the start of the year and two are currently detained.

Local sources report that the Taliban have transferred Ahmad Fahim Azimi and Sadiqullah Afghan, two activists involved in girls’ education and members of the Afghan Robotics Girls’ Team, to Pul-e-Charkhi Prison after 72 days in the custody of the intelligence unit of the group’s 40th Division.

Sources on Wednesday, December 27, confirmed to the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban recently transferred these two individuals to Pul-e-Charkhi Prison without holding a trial.

According to sources, the Taliban have denied these two education activists the right to have a lawyer during this period.

Nevertheless, the families of Ahmad Fahim and Sadiqullah are demanding the immediate release of these two education activists from Taliban custody.

The Taliban detained Fahim Azimi, an advocate for girls’ education, and his colleague on October 15 of this year from their office in Kart-e-Char, in the third district of Kabul.

Previously, Roya Mahboob, the leader of the Afghan Robotics Girls’ Team, had stated that the Taliban had detained Azimi and several colleagues from the “DCF” section of the team on charges of “assisting the evacuation of girls from the robotics team” and “organizing protests.”

It is worth noting that since their resurgence to power, the Taliban have detained and imprisoned several human rights activists and education advocates in the country, in addition to the former government military officials.

In response to persistent complaints of disruptions in the relief efforts of international organizations by the Taliban, the intelligence wing of the group has recently confiscated the mobile phones of surveyors from a contractor institution associated with the World Food Programme in Ghazni.

Sources in Ghazni reported to Hasht-e Subh Daily on Friday, December 8, that the Taliban seized and detained the mobile phones of at least 25 employees of the “HEAlTHO” institution, a contractor working with the World Food Programme in the Rashidan district.

According to sources, the Taliban have not disclosed the reasons for confiscating and detaining the mobile phones of these individuals, which also include their personal property.

Despite multiple visits by the employees of this institution to the district and the intelligence office in the area, they have not received a clear and affirmative response.

One source mentioned that with the confiscation of the phones of these employees, the process of assessing the needs of the residents in this district has come to a halt.

As of now, the Taliban in Ghazni have not provided any statements regarding this matter.

This incident is not the first report of disruptions in the humanitarian aid process by international institutions. Previously, the Taliban detained 18 employees of an international aid organization in Ghor, and recently, reports emerged regarding the cessation of operations of the German institution “GIZ” due to the detention of four of its employees by the Taliban.

Reliable sources have reported the detention of Pari Azada, a member of the “Afghan Women’s Movement for Justice and Freedom,” by the Taliban in Kabul.

Sources, in a conversation with Hasht-e Subh Daily, have confirmed that the Taliban apprehended this female protester around 9:00 AM on Wednesday, November 15th, near the “Sar-e Kariz” area of Kabul and subsequently transferred her to an undisclosed location.

According to these sources, Pari Azada was taken into custody by the Taliban while she was having their protesting slogans printed at a local print shop.

As of now, the Taliban have not issued any comments on this incident.

This marks the fourth instance of a female protester being detained by the Taliban in Kabul in recent times.

Munizha Sediqi, Julia Parsi with her son, and Neda Parwani with her four-year-old child have been in Taliban custody for approximately two months, and their fate remains unknown.

Since their resurgence in Afghanistan, the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on freedoms and women’s rights. In various instances, they have detained, tortured, and imprisoned women activists.

The family of Nabila Rahimi, a human rights activist, athlete, and health educator affiliated with a program of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), reports that she has been detained by the Taliban in Takhar and is currently held in their custody.

Nabila Rahimi’s family members informed Hasht-e Subh Daily on Saturday, November 25, that she was arrested by the Taliban in Taliqan City, Takhar, for not ceasing her activities in providing psychological counseling to the public following the Taliban’s prohibition on women working. She is detained near Taliqan city’s Sarak-e Char area.

She was apprehended earlier this year by the Taliban and has been held in the Taliban’s women’s prison in Takhar since then.

According to Nabila’s family members, she was mistreated during her arrest by the Taliban.

They emphasize that repeated efforts and assurances made by them, local elders, and authorities to secure her release from the Taliban’s grasp have been fruitless.

The family claims that the Taliban have indicated releasing Nabila Rahimi to her family soon but have warned that, upon her release, she will be under house arrest for two months and will be monitored.

However, the Taliban have not provided a specific timeline for her release to her family as of yet.

One of the family members states, “All I wanted was the release of Nabila.”

Our source adds that she was only assisting the people and providing psychological counseling to former government employees, including female counselors.

The source did not grant permission to disclose the name of the institution where Nabila Rahimi worked, based on certain considerations.

The Taliban have not commented on the matter so far.

This incident occurred at a time when the Taliban had previously instructed their security entities to curb the activities of some health institutions in various northeastern provinces.

This local contractor has been detained and imprisoned by the Taliban at a time when the group has imposed significant restrictions on Afghan women, with the prohibition of women working being one of them.

Although the Taliban had previously claimed that female employees in the health sector would not be subject to these restrictions, it is evident that the group is not adhering to its commitments and promises.

Local sources in Mazar-i-Sharif city have reported the tragic suicide of a young woman named Homa, who took her own life after being released from a Taliban prison. The incident occurred on Saturday, November 4th.

Homa, a passionate protester against Taliban restrictions, was apprehended by the Taliban intelligence agency during a checkpoint inspection in the city’s seventh district of Mazar-i-Sharif on Sunday, October 30th. She remained in their custody for three days.

Although it has been alleged that Homa was a member of the women’s protest network opposing the Taliban’s restrictions on women, the women’s protest network in Balkh has not confirmed or denied her membership to Hasht-e Subh Daily.

Sources have revealed that Homa was 26 years old and had graduated in the field of education from Balkh University.

Reports indicate that Homa endured torture at the hands of the Taliban intelligence agency, with visible evidence of this brutality on her body. After her release from Taliban captivity, she tragically hanged herself from the ceiling of her room, putting an end to her life.

Homa’s body was laid to rest on the same day as her death, Saturday, November 4th.

As of now, the Taliban group in Balkh has not commented on this tragic event.

Throughout their more than two years of control in Afghanistan, the Taliban have consistently suppressed, arrested, and tortured female protesters. There have been documented instances of sexual assaults on women in their prisons as well.

Local sources have confirmed the tragic death of a young social activist who succumbed to torture while in a Taliban prison. The sources, speaking to Hasht-e Subh on Tuesday, October 17th, verified that the victim was Matiullah Fathzada, who passed away due to his injuries two days prior while in Taliban custody.

According to these sources, Matiullah had been arrested by the Taliban approximately a year and a half ago for sharing pictures of the National Resistance Front forces on his Facebook profile. He was a well-known figure in the Omarz district of Panjshir province and resided in the Khairkhana area of Kabul city. Importantly, he had no affiliations with any particular group, emphasizing his status as an independent activist.

As of now, Taliban officials have not released any comments regarding this incident.

It is noteworthy that since their resurgence to power, the Taliban have detained, imprisoned, and in some cases, executed hundreds of residents from northern provinces, particularly Panjshir province. These actions stem from accusations of collaboration with the National Resistance Front. In a recent incident, the group opened fire on a young man named Abdulaziz, a prominent figure from Panjshir, on Saturday, October 14th, following a verbal altercation in the Qala-e Fathullah area of Kabul city.

This heartbreaking event sheds light on the dire situation faced by activists and individuals critical of the Taliban regime in Kabul. The incident underscores the urgent need for international attention and intervention to protect human rights in Afghanistan during these challenging times.

Reliable sources have confirmed that the Taliban arrested and detained Manija Sadeqi, a member of the “Spontaneous Women’s Movement of Afghanistan,” 15 days ago.

Laila Basim, another member of the Spontaneous Women’s Movement of Afghanistan, confirmed on Monday, October 23, in an interview with Hasht-e Subh Daily, that the Taliban apprehended Manija Sadeqi on October 7, 15 days ago, in the Kart-e-Naw area of Kabul city.

According to Basim, despite the 15-day efforts by Sadeghi’s family to secure her release, they have been unsuccessful.

Basim states that the reason for detaining female protesters is their resistance against the Taliban’s misogynistic actions.

It is essential to note that the Taliban also detained Neda Parwani along with her child and husband on September 19 and Julia Parsi on October 26 this year from Kabul city. These two women are also members of the Spontaneous Women’s Movement of Afghanistan.

The arrest of Parwani and Parsi has sparked various reactions.

Despite repeated calls from human rights organizations for the release of the detained female protesters, the Taliban have remained unresponsive to their actions.

Informed sources have reported the detention of Neda Parwani, a member of the “Spontaneous Women’s Movement of Afghanistan,” by the Taliban in Kabul.

At least two reliable sources have confirmed to Hasht-e Subh that the Taliban apprehended Neda Parwani on the morning of Tuesday, September 19, in the Khairkhana area of Kabul and subsequently transferred her to an undisclosed location.

According to sources, the Taliban have also detained the husband and a four-year-old son of this female protester.

As of now, the Taliban has not issued any official statement regarding this incident.

It is important to highlight that since the emergence of women’s protests in the country, the Taliban have detained and subjected several female protesters to torture.

Sources attribute the Taliban’s detention of female protesters to extortion by this group, alleging that the Taliban demand “money” in exchange for the release of female activists from human rights organizations.

Zholia Parsi, a women’s rights activist, was arrested with her elder son by the Taliban in Qala-e-Fathullah area in Kabul on Wednesday morning, sources confirmed.

According to sources, Parsi was arrested from her home in Kabul and some of their belongings, including mobile phones and a number of documents, were taken away by the Taliban.

This is the second arrest of a women’s rights activist by the Taliban in less than a month.

Taliban has not commented on the matter so far.

More details will be added to this story.

Local officials in the central Afghan province where the Taliban detained 18 staffers for a long-serving humanitarian NGO earlier this month suggest the group was suspected of spreading Christianity, RFE/RL's Radio Azadi has learned.

Taliban intelligence and other officials in Kabul have remained silent over the detentions.

The International Assistance Mission (IAM) humanitarian group in Afghanistan on September 15 announced the detention of 18 team members from its offices in Ghor Province between September 3 and 13. It said they all appear to have been transferred to the Afghan capital, Kabul.

IAM and other information suggested the detainees comprise 17 Afghan nationals and a female American surgeon.

Early on September 16, IAM said it still "has not been informed of the reasons for the detention of our staff."

But Taliban officials in Ghor have accused them of spreading Christianity, which can be punished under strict interpretations of Islamic law in Afghanistan.

In a written message to Radio Azadi, Abdul Hai Zaim, the head of information and culture for the Taliban-led government for Ghor Province, confirmed the arrest of the IAM employees and claimed -- without providing evidence -- that they had been promoting Christianity.

The fundamentalist Taliban, who retook control of Afghanistan as U.S.-led international forces withdrew in 2021, have imposed a particularly harsh form of Shari'a law on the country when they have been in power at various points in the past four decades.

The internationally unrecognized Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has been accused by UN and other international officials of grave human rights offenses against non-Muslims, women, and minorities.

IAM said on September 16 that it had inquired with the Taliban-led Afghan government's Finance Ministry and was "working together with the UN and ACBAR, the coordinating body for NGOs in Afghanistan," to seek the release of the staff members.

IAM has worked in Afghanistan for nearly six decades, it said.

"IAM has worked in Afghanistan alongside Afghan communities for 57 years and we value and respect local customs and cultures. We stand by the principle that 'aid will not be used to further a particular political or religious standpoint,'" it said, adding, "All IAM staff agree to abide by the laws of Afghanistan."

In a recent and concerning development, Taliban fighters have reportedly detained eight individuals associated with the “Union and Solidarity of Afghan Women” movement following an attack on a gathering of women protesters in Kabul.

Sources reveal that the Taliban apprehended these eight individuals within Kabul city and have taken them into custody. The incident unfolded on Sunday, August 20th, when Taliban fighters executed the arrests from a confined location in the Khairkhana district of Kabul.

An insider source informed Hasht-e Subh that these women have been identified as Hajar, Khatol, Lima, Farida Moheb, Husna, and three others whose names are undisclosed. The source added, “The women had assembled to organize an event, but the location was surrounded, and they found themselves unable to leave.”

According to the source, as darkness descended, Taliban fighters entered the premises and apprehended the detained women. Photographic evidence obtained by Hasht-e Subh also indicates that Taliban fighters initiated an assault on the site where these women had gathered.

Meanwhile, the Union and Solidarity of Afghan Women’s movement verified the incident through an official statement, affirming that these women were detained before they could carry out their planned protest action.

The statement reads, “Members of this movement had planned to hold a protest in a confined area within Khairkhana Square in Kabul due to security concerns. However, before the protest could take place, Taliban forces stormed the site and detained eight of these women.”

It’s important to note that this isn’t the first instance of the Taliban detaining women activists. Since assuming control over Afghanistan, the Taliban have imposed various restrictions on the country’s citizens.

In a concerning development, sources from Kabul have reported that the Taliban, approximately three months after the arrest of the human rights activist Shamsurrahman Rahiq, have now detained his younger brother.

According to informed sources in the city, the Taliban arrested Mohammad Mehrban Morshed on Wednesday, August 23rd, from Kabul’s third security district. The details of his whereabouts remain undisclosed.

Mohammad Mehrban Morshed is a third-year student at Kabul University, as per sources. The Taliban’s grounds for his arrest, however, remain unknown.

As of now, the Taliban has not issued any official statement regarding this matter.

It’s worth mentioning that on May 24, 2023, the Taliban intelligence forces arrested Shamsurrahman Rahiq for the second time in Kabul. Rahiq is a prominent human rights activist and resident of the Dara district of Panjshir province.

Rahiq is also reported to have previously worked as a staff member for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), although the organization has not yet commented on his case.

Based on the published reports, it is noted that about a year ago, the Taliban had forcibly taken Shamsurrahman Rahiq’s father from his home in Panjshir and shot him. His father was a former member of the previous government’s army.

On Thursday, August 10, officials from the General Directorate of Intelligence, the Taliban’s intelligence agency, stormed the office of the independent Killid radio station in Jalalabad city, in eastern Nangarhar province, and detained its manager Faqirzai and reporter Saleh, according to the non-profit Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC)and a journalist with knowledge of the situation who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of retaliation by the Taliban.

Separately, also on Thursday, Taliban intelligence operatives entered offices of the independent Uranus TV network in Kunduz city in northern Afghanistan and detained Hasib Hassas, a journalist at the independent radio Salam Watandar, according to the AFJC and another journalist who spoke with CPJ anonymously due to fear of Taliban reprisal.

CPJ’s journalist sources said that Faqirzai, Saleh, and Hassas were detained on accusations that they reported for exiled media.

“The detention of journalists Faqir Mohammad Faqirzai, Jan Agha Saleh, and Hasib Hassas just before the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul shows the Taliban is determined to continue their brutal crackdown on the media,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “Taliban authorities must immediately and unconditionally release the three journalists and stop muzzling reporting, whether it is conducted for local media or the exiled press.”

The journalist sources said that the three were transferred to an undisclosed location; CPJ was unable to determine their whereabouts.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid did not respond to a CPJ’s request for comment sent via messaging app.

Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, the country’s media have been in crisis, with journalists facing arrests, raids on offices, and beatings. The Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence has emerged as a key threat to journalists in the country. Some journalists who fled the country have established media outlets to continue reporting on Afghanistan in exile.

Taliban authorities must stop their relentless crackdown on the media in Afghanistan and allow private broadcaster Hamisha Bahar Radio and TV to continue its work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

On Sunday, July 30, about 20 members of the Taliban provincial police raided the office of Hamisha Bahar Radio and TV in Jalalabad city, in eastern Nangarhar province, after receiving information about a journalism training workshop attended by both male and female journalists from the broadcaster, according to news reports and a journalist familiar with the situation, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal. On Tuesday, armed members of the Taliban provincial police then shuttered the broadcaster’s operations and sealed its office, according to those sources.

“The Taliban must allow the broadcaster Hamisha Bahar Radio and TV to resume operations promptly and ensure its employees, including female journalists, are allowed unfettered access to professional training,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “It is appalling that the Taliban cracked down on a media outlet because of women’s participation at a journalism training session. Denying women of their rights has become the hallmark of the Taliban regime.”

Hamisha Bahar Radio and TV has 35 employees, including nine women, according to the journalist who spoke with CPJ. Under the Taliban, women face severe restrictions on education and employment, which the United Nations says have increased in recent months.

CPJ contacted Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid for comment via messaging app but received no response.

In August 2022, CPJ published a special report about the media crisis in Afghanistan showing a rapid deterioration in press freedom characterized by censorship, arrests, assaults, and restrictions on women journalists since the Taliban retook control of the country in 2021.

Security forces used water cannons and fired guns into the air to disperse a women’s protest in Kabul on July 19 over the Taliban-led government’s decision to close women’s hair and beauty salons.

Dozens of women took part in the rare public protest in the center of the Afghan capital. They held a poster with the slogan: "Don't take away our bread and water."

Beauty salons are a source of livelihood for women in Afghanistan, where the Taliban-led government has curbed the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls in education and most forms of employment.

One female protester told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that Taliban security officers beat some of the demonstrators with batons and used tear gas to break up the demonstration.

"Yes, they were very violent. They fired shots in the air and sprayed water on us. They beat the girls. They took their mobile phones," one woman told Radio Azadi through WhatsApp. Another demonstrator also described the violence used by security forces against the women.

"They shot around us. They hit us with electric batons. They beat us with rods. We ran from alley to alley,” said the protester. “I am 15 years old, and I want to defend my mother's right, my sister's right, everyone's rights.”

Both women requested anonymity to protect themselves from retribution. Their accounts could not be independently verified.

The office of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) responded on Twitter to reports of the crackdown.

“Reports of the forceful suppression of a peaceful protest by women against the ban on beauty salons -- the latest denial of women’s rights in #Afghanistan -- are deeply concerning. Afghans have the right to express views free from violence. De facto authorities must uphold this,” UNAMA said.

The Taliban government's order to close women's beauty salons was issued last month.The Taliban's Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice issued a letter on June 24 conveying a verbal order from the supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada. On July 4, Mohammad Sidik Akif Mahajar, a spokesman for the ministry, confirmed the contents of the letter, which had been circulating on social media.

The spokesman justified the order, saying the salons charge exorbitant amounts of money for makeup and that some of the procedures performed, such as plucking eyebrows and adding hair extensions, are illegal.

The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice gave women's salons a month to close their doors.

Local sources in Zabul report that the Taliban have prohibited the activities of Intersos, a humanitarian aid organization (HAO), due to its refusal to employ individuals designated by the Taliban in the province.

Sources informed Hasht-e Subh that the group sealed off the premises of Intersos, which operates in the healthcare sector, on Saturday, July 15.

The Taliban’s Public Health Directorate in Zabul has not commented on the suspension of Intersos in Qalat, the provincial capital.

However, an anonymous source from the organization stated that after Intersos declined to employ individuals designated by the Taliban, the Taliban authorities locked the premises.

This is the second time that Intersos activities have been halted in Zabul after officials of the organization refused to employ Taliban-designated individuals.

Meanwhile, earlier reports from Daykundi province stated that fifteen aid organizations have ceased operations in the province for several months due to Taliban intervention and extortion.

On June 18, Shahir was detained by members of the Taliban as he crossed the border from Iran to Afghanistan in the Zabul district when he was detained by Taliban authorities. According to a statement from the Pak-Afghan International Forum of Journalists (PAIF), Shahir was arrested by Taliban intelligence forces while travelling to Kabul and taken to an unknown location, where he was interrogated and tortured him. For two days, Shahir’s family had no knowledge of his whereabouts or fate.

It remains unclear whether Shahir was released from detention or if he escaped. Rahman Mirzad, a fellow journalist and colleague of Shahir, told 8am Media that Shahir had escaped from Taliban captivity on the night of June 19. A Taliban spokesperson in the Zabul province denied the journalist’s detainment.

Shahir, a reporter with Rah-e-Farda TV, left Afghanistan at the start of Taliban control in August 2021, taking refuge in Iran. His reportage is often critical of the Taliban regime and was previously targeted in April 2021 and June 2021. The journalist was returning to Kabul on June 18 due to issues with his Iranian visa.

The IFJ’s South Asia Press Freedom Report 2022-23 recorded 12 arrests of journalists in Afghanistan between May 1, 2022, and April 30 2023, with Shahir being the third Afghan journalist to be arrested this year. Mortaza Behboudi, a French-Afghan journalist living in France, was arrested on 7 January in Kabul, two days after arriving in Afghanistan. Days later, the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) detained freelance journalist Khairullah Parhar on January 9.

The IFJ said: “The arrest, detention and torture of Reza Shahir is yet another example of the Taliban’s ever-tightening grip on the media in Afghanistan. Journalists should not be arbitrarily targeted and must be able to work freely, without fear of restrictions or reprisals. The IFJ condemns Shahir’s arrest and calls on the Taliban to end its persecution of journalists in Afghanistan.”

Mojib Zia, a former civil society activist, was detained at Kabul airport on 16 May. He had worked as a media consultant for the Rahmani Foundation during the previous government but had been living in Iran since the Taliban takeover. He had returned to Afghanistan when his father died and was detained as he made his return journey to Iran. He was released in early June.

Local sources report that Taliban intelligence forces have detained a human rights activist for the second time in Kabul city.

According to the sources, the individual in question is named Shams al-Rahman Rahiq, and the Taliban arrested him on Monday, May 29, along with Ata al-Rahman, his uncle’s son, at the Gozargah area in Kabul city. They transferred him to an undisclosed location.

Although the motive behind Rahiq’s arrest is not yet known, sources quoting his relatives say that he has been detained due to his human rights activities.

Sources state that the Taliban had previously arrested Shams al-Rahman about a month ago and held him in prison for a while, but he was released again with the intervention of local elders.

It is worth mentioning that approximately a year ago, the Taliban forcibly removed Rahiq’s father from his home in Paktia and subjected him to physical assault.

Shams al-Rahman Rahiq is a resident of the Abdullahkhel valley in the Dara district of Panjshir province and had been living in Kabul city.

The Taliban has not commented on this matter so far.

It is said that he has also been an employee of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), but the organization has not yet expressed its opinion on the issue.

It should be noted that since their takeover, the Taliban have detained and imprisoned several civil activists and human rights defenders in various provinces of the country.

Local sources in Parwan province have reported the detention of a school principal by the Taliban.

Lutfullah, also known as Agha-Shirin, was arrested on Thursday, May 18th, in the Bagram district.

According to sources, Lutfullah is the principal of “Abdul Sattar Shahid” High School in the village of Dawlat Shahi in Bagram district, and the Taliban detained him a few days after he criticized the ban on girls’ education.

Sources state that the Taliban intelligence apprehended this school principal during an official meeting at the Education Department of Bagram district and transferred him to an undisclosed location.

The Taliban have not made any comments regarding this incident so far.

Previously, the Taliban had detained and imprisoned several individuals in various provinces of the country on similar charges and for criticizing the group’s governance methods.

In the most recent case in January, the group had detained a young man named Majid Ahmadi in Ghor province for criticizing the ban on girls’ education and transferred him to an undisclosed location.

Taliban fighters in Farah Province have detained, beaten, and imprisoned seventy farmers who were protesting the weak management of agricultural product prices in the market.

Sources told Hasht-e Subh that some farmers went to the province’s agriculture department on Wednesday, May 3, and protested. These farmers asked the Taliban’s agriculture department to collaborate with them in controlling the prices of their crops in the markets and to manage the price fluctuations throughout the day, which often drop from 100 to 20 Afghanis.

However, the Taliban not only did not pay attention to their protests and requests but also transferred these farmers by military vehicles to the security observatory in Farah.

Sources say that during the four-hour detention by the Taliban, these farmers were also beaten.

The main agricultural products of this season in Farah Province are eggplants, tomatoes, pumpkins, okra, and watermelons. The lack of storage space and the risk of spoilage are the main concerns of farmers in this province.

Taliban security officials in the province have not yet commented on the detention of protesting farmers.

Earlier, farmers in Farah Province had protested against the unprecedented drop in watermelon prices. In 2022, the price of each kilogram of watermelon in Farah had reached one Afghani.

On Thursday, March 30, authorities in the city of Faizabad, in Badakhshan province, shuttered the broadcaster’s operations and sealed its office, according to news reports and an employee of the radio station who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.

The officers at the scene, from the Taliban’s Directorate of Information and Culture and Directorate of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, accused the outlet of illegally airing music during the holy month of Ramadan. The Taliban banned playing and listening to music when it retook power in August 2021.

The radio station employee who spoke to CPJ said she was not aware that any music had been aired, and believed that the decision was retaliation for the station’s programs focusing on women’s education and job opportunities in Badakhshan.

“The Taliban should immediately reverse its decision shuttering the Radio Sada e Banowan broadcaster and allow the outlet to reopen and work freely,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. “The Taliban have deprived Afghan women of everything from jobs to education. Shutting down a women-run radio station shows there is no reprieve for the Afghan media even during the holy month of Ramadan. The Taliban must correct its course and stop cracking down on journalism.”

Radio Sada e Banowan was established in 2014 and owned by Afghan female journalist Najla Shirzad. Local Taliban officials allowed the radio station to restart operations not long after the group retook power. It has six employees, according to the person who spoke to CPJ.

CPJ contacted Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid for comment via messaging app but did not receive any response.

In August 2022, CPJ published a special report about the media crisis in Afghanistan, showing a rapid deterioration in press freedom since the Taliban retook control of the country one year earlier, marked by censorship, arrests, assaults, and restrictions on women journalists.

At least 20 Afghan women marched in the capital, Kabul, on March 26 to demand the right to education for women and girls before being rounded up by a Taliban patrol.

The demonstration comes amid UN and other international condemnation over ongoing strictures under the Taliban-led government to keep women and girls out of schools, jobs, media, and other aspects of life since the hard-line militant group took power after U.S.-led international forces left in 2021.

Participants in the demonstration told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that Taliban enforcers arrived shortly after they began their planned march from the Red Bridge area in western Kabul and corralled the protesters to prevent them from continuing.

Video footage shared on social media showed around two dozen veiled women marching with small signs with "education is our right" written on them.

The demonstration was organized by the Afghan Women's Political Participation Network.

Organizers reportedly planned to march toward the Asif Mayel Girls' School, one of dozens of schools violently attacked by Taliban fighters or sympathizers.

"For almost two years, the future and fate of Afghan women have been taken hostage and we have been completely removed from society," one of the protesters, Momine Eftekhari, told Radio Azadi.

"Education is a standard with an educational curriculum that is the right of everyone. Not only is it the right of boys but girls, but unfortunately we have been deprived of education, work, and sports for more than 19 months."

She said the situation was "no longer tolerable [and] that's why we took to the streets."

Taliban Shut Down Women’s Voice Radio Station in Badakhshan

Local sources in Badakhshan report that the Taliban fighters have closed the door of Radio Sedaye Banovan (Women’s Voice Radio) in this province.

Local sources say that Taliban closed this radio station on Friday, March 10, in Fayzabad, the center of Badakhshan province.

Sources add that Taliban said during the closure of Women’s Voice Radio that its broadcasts were not in line with their policies.

The policies that Taliban had set for Women’s Radio in Badakhshan included not playing music, not broadcasting live programs by women, and not allowing female presenters to speak in a soft voice.

Officials of the Taliban in Badakhshan have warned the officials of this media outlet that they have no right to operate after this.

Women’s Voice Radio was the only media outlet for women in Badakhshan, which began operating about five years ago and continued to operate even after Taliban seized the power.