Moscow says it can’t develop ties with Kabul until IEA taken off terrorist list

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Maria Zakharova

Ariana:.”We have repeatedly stated on previous occasions that Russia, like other world powers, intends to develop practical cooperation with Kabul on issues of mutual interest, including with the aim of fighting terrorist threats and drug trafficking that stem from the territory of Afghanistan,” Zakharova stated, TASS news agency reported. “However, it is obviously impossible to reach this aim without removing the terrorist tag from the Taliban movement (IEA),” she noted. Click here to read more (external link).

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UN report: Taliban have detained Afghan journalists more than 250 times

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VOA News
November 27, 2024
By Jocelyn Mintz

Washington — Journalists in Afghanistan are forced to navigate an environment of “censorship and tight restrictions” under Taliban rule, the United Nations has said.

From the Taliban takeover on August 15, 2021, to September 30 of this year, the Taliban have detained journalists 256 times and 130 cases of torture and poor treatment have been documented, according to the report published Tuesday by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA.

The report documents the “arbitrary arrests, torture, and violence” that journalists have been subject to since 2021, according to Freshta Hemmati, of the Afghanistan Journalists Support Organization.

“They are working under the severe pressure of censorship and restrictions,” she told VOA.

The Taliban-led foreign ministry said that the figures in the report were “exaggerated” and that journalists are detained only for violations of law, the Reuters news agency reported.

The ministry cited crimes including defaming the government, false or baseless reports, and providing material to media outlets against the system, Reuters reported.

The UNAMA report found that journalists and media workers in Afghanistan often face “unclear rules on what they can and cannot report.” This leads to the high risk of arbitrary detention for what the Taliban deem as criticism.

Analysts who spoke with VOA said that the report reflects the media suppression in Afghanistan and is a hallmark of the Taliban rule.

“The aim of multiplying the arrests is to instill fear in the whole media community and to provoke self-censorship and submission,” Célia Mercier, head of Reporters Without Borders’ South Asia Desk, told VOA in an email.

Since the Taliban resumed power, they have imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Their administration has not been officially recognized by any foreign government. Within three months of the takeover, around 40% of Afghan media outlets disappeared, according to the media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders, or RSF.

The takeover led to a large exodus of journalists. Those who remain risk being targeted, according to Beh Lih Yi, of the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ.

CPJ has documented “cruel assaults and beatings” of journalists by Taliban forces. Often, journalists and their families choose to remain silent about a detention for fear of retribution.

“All these repressive measures of the Taliban are aimed at creating a chilling effect on the press and deterring journalists from continuing their reporting,” Beh told VOA in an email.

The restrictions have especially impacted women journalists in Afghanistan, Hemmati, of the Afghanistan Journalists Support Organization, told VOA. After the Taliban takeover, eight in 10 women journalists stopped working, according to RSF data.

The Taliban foreign ministry, in its response to the UNAMA report, said women were free to work if they met conditions, such as covering their faces and working separately from men.

Watchdogs have called on Afghan authorities to uphold press freedom by respecting the country’s media law, ratified nearly a decade ago. This law outlines the right to free expression in the country, with the goal of protecting journalists, according to the Afghanistan Journalists Center.

The UNAMA report called on the Taliban to improve conditions for media.

“We urge the de facto authorities to ensure the safety and security of all journalists and media workers as they carry out their tasks, and to fully recognize the importance of women working in the media sector,” Roza Otunbayeva, special representative of the secretary-general and head of UNAMA, said in the report.

Afghanistan is ranked at No. 178 out of 180 on the Press Freedom Index, where 1 signals the best environment. In 2021, before the Taliban takeover, the country ranked 122nd.

Sahar Azimi of VOA’s Afghan Service contributed to this report.

Despite Attacks By Resistance Fronts, Taliban Retains Military Dominance, Claims SIGAR

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Afghanistan International: The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) wrote in a report that attacks by opposition fronts do not pose a serious threat to the Taliban, and that the group has been able to maintain its military dominance in Afghanistan. He predicted that the Taliban would likely be able to maintain this advantage for at least the next 12 months. Click here to read more (external link).

Taliban’s Religious Intolerance: Sufis in Nahrin, Baghlan Were Previously Threatened

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8am: No group has claimed responsibility for the killing of the 11 Sufis in Baghlan. Meanwhile, local sources confirm that Sufism has many followers in Baghlan. They noted that Sufi shrines and gatherings continue with their traditional practices of worship and remembrance. However, sources also confirmed that the Taliban, along with ISIS affiliates, Wahhabis, and Salafis, oppose and act against Sufis. Click here to read more (external link).

Under Taliban Pressure, Kyrgyz of Badakhshan Forced to Flee Afghanistan

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8am: Many Kyrgyz representatives from the Pamir region of Badakhshan province, who traveled to Fayzabad, the provincial capital, to raise their concerns, have voiced frustration over the lack of healthcare facilities, impassable roads, and extortion by Taliban fighters under the pretense of collecting tithe and “zakat” (alms). They warn that if their basic needs remain unmet, they will be compelled to leave Afghanistan in groups. They report that in the Pamir region, 9 out of every 20 women die during childbirth due to the absence of essential medical services. Additionally, they claim that the living area in Fayzabad, constructed by the previous government for Kyrgyz residents, has been repurposed as a military base by the head of the Taliban’s Directorate of Borders and Tribal Affairs. Click here to read more (external link).

Rawadari Report: Sexual Abuse and the Taliban’s Ideological Influence on Afghanistan’s Education System

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8am: The human rights organization “Rawadari” has revealed the shocking state of the educational system under Taliban rule in its latest report. The findings expose how the Taliban has radically reshaped the curriculum, aligning it with their ideology and mandating the teaching of their religious doctrines. The report highlights the disorder and chaos caused by the Taliban’s arbitrary approach to education in the country’s universities and schools. It also points to the poor quality of education, which has led many boys to drop out of school and join Taliban religious institutions. Furthermore, the report reveals that some female teachers and girls in Taliban-controlled schools and religious institutions have been subjected to sexual harassment. However, these incidents remain hidden due to social repression and vulnerability. The report cites a specific example of six schoolgirls who were raped at a religious school in Ghor province. Click here to read more (external link).