Houston Chronicle: Judge H spent the latter half of her 20s prosecuting and jailing Taliban members in Afghanistan for terrorism and narcotics-related charges. Her work within the counter-narcotics court was critical to hitting the Taliban where it hurt – their pocketbook. But, on the morning of Aug. 15th, 2021, when the Taliban took control of
RFI: The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August last year crushed the dreams and hopes of millions of Afghan women who had made significant strides in the past 20 years. For athletes and sports women, it has been tough especially after they were banned from playing sport under the new Taliban government. Click here to
Ayaz Gul VOA News July 9, 2022 ISLAMABAD — The Taliban prime minister Saturday defended rules for women and girls in Afghanistan, insisting his government is practicing human rights as “ordained” by God and it cannot dare amend them. The statement comes a day after the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution urging the
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi July 8, 2022 For nearly two decades, foreign scholarships provided a golden opportunity for many Afghans to acquire knowledge, new skills, and degrees that few universities in Afghanistan offered. Women particularly benefited from such international education, which allowed them to establish or enhance their careers. The foreign experience also propelled many to
8am: Local sources in Samangan province have reported that the Taliban have ordered private schools in this province to close girls’ classes above the sixth grade. Female students at private schools say that they are disappointed about their future after hearing this decision. Click here to read more (external link). Related Male Students Call for
8am: In less than 24 hours, three women have committed suicide in Takhar, Uruzgan and Daikundi provinces. Apparently, domestic violence has been cited as the reason for these suicides. Mass poverty, lack of education, chronic unemployment and dozens of other difficulties have left women with no choice but to commit suicide. Click here to read
Michael Hughes: The agenda item during talks between the U.S. and Taliban in Doha this week was widely expected to be about potentially unfreezing Afghan assets for earthquake recovery efforts. Although that topic was discussed, the State Department said a “central focus” of the dialogue was the Taliban’s restrictions on Afghan women. This emphasis was
UN: The situation for women is so desperate in Afghanistan that they are committing suicide at a rate of one or two every day, the Human Rights Council has heard. Addressing the Council, Fawzia Koofi, former deputy speaker of the Afghan Parliament, said lack of opportunity and ailing mental health, was taking a terrible toll:
Ariana: Many Afghan families would leave their country if secondary girls’ schools do not reopen, Hizb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said on Friday. Hekmatyar, in his Friday sermon, said that a decision should be made regarding the issue of girls’ education at the gathering of religious scholars in Kabul. “What does Islam say? What does our
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi July 1, 2022 The Taliban’s supreme leader, Mawlawi Haibuatullah Akhundzada, is addressing a grand meeting in Kabul of some 3,000 male clerics and tribal leaders discussing the running of the country. The June 30-July 2 “grand assembly of ulema,” or religious scholars, is a tightly controlled event where women are banned and