Taliban militants (file photo)
Afghanistan International: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated that religious minorities in Afghanistan face threats from terrorist groups such as ISIS, as well as harassment and persecution from the Taliban. The commission’s report specifically mentions that Shias, Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians are individuals whose religious freedom has been violated. In its annual report, the USCIRF states that religious freedom in Afghanistan has deteriorated under the Taliban rule. The USCIRF states that in February 2023, a Taliban governor in Badakhshan issued a letter prohibiting marriages between Shia and Sunni Muslims. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: Sources from Pul-e-Charkhi prison have informed Afghanistan International that the Taliban officials have physically assaulted and tortured dozens of political prisoners who were on a hunger strike, demanding a review of their cases. Sources indicate that these inmates number in the hundreds, most of whom hail from Panjshir and the northern regions of Afghanistan. The US State Department recently reported that 90 percent of Taliban prisoners are political detainees. 
Ariana: Sorkh Poshan Khafi thrashed Jawanan Wahedi FC 3-0 in the 23rd match of Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) in Kabul on Wednesday, while Khadim FC beat Istiqlal Kabul FC 2-1 in the 24th match of the tournament on the same day. Thursday’s matches will see Abu Muslim Farah FC take on Mawj Sahil FC at 1pm, while Attack Energy FC play Maiwand FC at 3:30pm. The matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television. 
The Guardian (UK): In the two decades before the Taliban returned to power, Afghanistan had a vibrant media sector. There were newspapers, television channels, periodicals, magazines and more, invigorating the public discourse by allowing citizens to express their views on national and local issues. That is completely gone now. 
Ariana: New Zealand Cricket said Tuesday it will go ahead with a Test match against Afghanistan in September, a month after Australia scrapped a Twenty20 series against the national team. Cricket Australia postponed a three-match series due to take place in August at a neutral venue, saying the situation for women in Afghanistan was deteriorating. It was the third time since 2021 that Australia have refused to play Afghanistan outside of international tournaments. 
8am: Findings from the Hasht-e Subh Daily show that the Taliban have imprisoned dozens of women in various provinces over the past nearly three years on various charges. Findings indicate that all detainees, contrary to the principles of fair trial in the Taliban’s penal system, have been subjected to humiliation, torture, and harassment, and some have faced sexual assault. In most provinces, the Taliban do not have separate women’s prisons and have allocated a section of male prisons to women. Alongside the lack of separate facilities for women, this group has subjected detainees to verbal, physical, and psychological abuse. Two women in this report have confirmed that they were sexually assaulted by the Taliban and have also witnessed assaults on other women. One woman, released from the Pul-e Charkhi prison, recounts that due to the dire health conditions in this prison, her hair was infested with lice, and there is no healthcare, especially menstrual services, available in this prison. Furthermore, a credible source in the province of Badakhshan claims that some Taliban officials attempt to take “tall and beautiful” female prisoners to their homes overnight and return them to prison in the morning. Findings of the Hasht-e Subh Daily from Uruzgan province also indicate that when women are detained, they are held in the residences of Taliban officials until they are transferred to the Kandahar provincial prison. 
Daily News: The Taliban hopes to remedy Afghanistan’s many woes by making the highly conservative, poverty-stricken, war-torn country a tourism destination. Would-be bookers understand they have their work cut out for them. Visas are hard to procure. The Taliban’s treatment of women is famously abhorrent. None of the the country’s airports have direct flights to Europe, India or China, which the Tourism Directorate in Kabul hopes to make a large market. There’s also an absence of foreign embassies.