LGBT activists say the return of the Taliban to power in 2021 in Afghanistan has resulted in discrimination, torture, and even murder. One gay man told RFE/RL that he had to quit school to protect his identity while another said he and his boyfriend were tortured by the Taliban.
8am: According to reports from sources speaking to Hasht-e Subh, a confrontation took place on Tuesday, August 29th, between Taliban and ISIS in the vicinity of Sistan Township, Zaranj city, the capital of Nimruz province. The armed clash reportedly lasted for nearly half an hour, according to the sources. A source from Zaranj city has stated that following the clash, the Taliban detained five individuals on charges of being associated with the ISIS group. Click here to read more (external link).
Roza Otunbaeva
By RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service
August 29, 2023
A top UN official expressed concerns that Afghanistan has been excluded from global discussions on climate change, despite being among the top 10 countries worldwide facing climate-related issues.
Afghanistan has been excluded from the UN’s global climate summit talks since the Taliban takeover in 2021.
Roza Otunbaeva, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), highlighted the impact of climate change and drought conditions on the poverty level of the country and pointed to the importance of Taliban-driven initiatives, such as the Amu Darya River water project.
The comments came in an interview published on August 29 by RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service.
One issue of concern, Otunbaeva said, is the massive canal project begun by the Taliban to divert water from a key river to help the farming sector of northern Afghanistan. But some Central Asian nations worry over how the project could reduce water supply to their regions.
“[Taliban rulers] are digging a hundred kilometers of the channel aiming to deliver water from Amu Darya River. They are going to farm new places and want to have independence on food security,” she noted.
“However, this is a very dangerous point for our neighborhood (Central Asian countries) because of [resulting] water issues,” said Otunbaeva, who served as the interim president of Kyrgyzstan in 2010-11.
The Taliban administration has prioritized the Qosh-Tepe canal project, begun in early 2022, with the aim of allocating Amu Darya waters among the Central Asian states — Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — a plan that originated during the Soviet era.
In November, independent Afghan climate activist Abdulhadi Achakzai attended as the only representative of his nation at the UN Conference of Parties (COP27) in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
The 2021 Global Climate Risk Index positioned Afghanistan as the sixth most vulnerable country to climate-related threats.
Afghanistan faces frequent natural disasters that are endangering life, livelihoods, homes, and infrastructure.
Hundreds of Afghans die every year in torrential rains, landslides, and floods, particularly in rural areas where poorly built homes are often at risk of collapse.
The UN has said that decades of war, environmental degradation, and climate change have made a growing number of Afghans vulnerable to natural disasters.
Hora Sadat
Naqiba Barekzai
Abubakar Siddique
August 29, 2023
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Hora Sadat, a female YouTuber, built a large social-media following by producing light-hearted videos about life in Afghanistan.
Even after the Taliban seized power in 2021, the 25-year-old remained unfazed. She continued to generate content for her more than 300,000 subscribers despite the militant group’s attempts to erase women from public life.
Last week, Sadat’s social-media accounts fell silent. She was allegedly poisoned after attending a private event in the capital, Kabul, on August 21. The Taliban said it had arrested two people — a man and a woman — in connection with her death.
Although the motive for her alleged poisoning is not clear, her death has had a chilling effect on female online personalities and social-media influencers still active in Afghanistan.
Speaking to RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi, several female YouTubers, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said they fear for their lives and have cut their online presence.
“Any woman who works for the media, is active in civil society, or appears on social media faces extreme threats,” Shakeela, a female YouTuber who requested that her real name not be used, told Radio Azadi.
Shakeela says she no longer films in public, opting to produce videos from the safety of her home. Even then, she does not show her face in her videos. “Out of fear, I cannot even tell our neighbors that I run a YouTube channel,” said Shakeela, who lives in Kabul.
Only a handful of young female Afghan YouTubers have continued their activities under the Taliban, which has waged a brutal crackdown on dissent.
Many social-media personalities, including men, have avoided criticizing the Taliban or commenting on politics. Instead, they have focused on showcasing Afghan culture and natural beauty. Despite their apolitical nature, the online content has shed some light on Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Suraya, another female YouTuber in Kabul, says Sadat’s death has spread fear among Afghan women who play a visible role in society. “I am terrified,” she told Radio Azadi.
‘You’re On Your Own’
Some women’s rights activists in Afghanistan have blamed the Taliban for Sadat’s death, although there is no evidence of the militant group’s involvement.
Last week, members of the Afghan Women’s Empowerment Movement gathered at Sadat’s grave and expressed concerns over what they said were the targeted killings of prominent women.
“By going to Hora’s grave, we first want to share our sorrow with her family and friends. Then we want the international community to punish those who are behind the mysterious and targeted killings of women,” Halima Hakimi, a member of the movement, told Radio Azadi.
In January, Mursal Nabidzadah, a former female lawmaker, was shot dead along with a bodyguard when unidentified gunmen broke into her house in Kabul. The motives for her killing remain unclear.
Sadat’s death has underscored the dangers faced by women under the Taliban.
Since seizing power, the hard-line Islamist group has banned women from education and most forms of employment, effectively denied them any public role in society, and imposed strict limitations on their mobility and appearance. The militants have violently suppressed protests by women and detained female activists.
The Taliban has also dismantled the Women’s Affairs Ministry and Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission as well as closing shelters, legal assistance programs, and special courts that were designed to combat violence against women and girls.
“The message this has sent to women and girls is that if you are facing violence or threats, the Taliban administration will not offer you any help — you’re on your own,” said Heather Barr, associate women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch. “Women have every reason to fear for their safety.”
8am: Shamsuddin Hemayoun, the governor of the Yangi Qala district in Takhar province, stands accused of manipulating a substantial quantity of humanitarian aid, including approximately 160 bags of chemical fertilizers and improved wheat. This aid was generously provided by the “Swedish Committee for Afghanistan” to cater to the needs of vulnerable locals and struggling farmers in the province. Sources who spoke with Hasht-e Subh on Tuesday, August 29, have revealed that this high-ranking Taliban official orchestrated the alleged manipulation of humanitarian assistance roughly a week ago. Click here to read more (external link).
Ariana: The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) said on Tuesday that a truckload of figs worth $300,000 was set on fire in Loralai region of Balochistan in Pakistan. Khan Jan Alokozay, Deputy Head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), confirmed the incident and told Ariana News that the issue will harm transit relations between the two countries. Alokozay said the government of Pakistan should ensure the security of goods transiting the country. He also said the ACCI has informed the Pakistani authorities about the incident. Alokozay said this is the third time an incident of this nature has occurred. Click here to read more (external link).
VOA News
August 28, 2023
There has been a “disturbing surge” in the number of female suicides and attempted female suicides in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control in 2021, according to a report by British newspaper The Guardian.
The Taliban government has not published any statistics on the phenomenon and has forbidden health care workers from sharing the numbers, the newspaper said. However, the report said health care providers agreed to privately share the information from August 2021 to August 2022 “to highlight an urgent public health crisis” that has made Afghanistan one of the few locations in the world where more women than men kill themselves.
During the year-long period, “females made up more than three-quarter of recorded suicide deaths and treated survivors,” The Guardian reported.
Life for women in Afghanistan has become extremely restrictive and health care providers and human rights activists “have raised the alarm” about the staggering suicide surge among Afghanistan’s women.
Recently, the Taliban began barring women from a national park because they were not wearing their headscarves correctly. The Taliban have already barred women from continuing their education after elementary school, prohibited them from most work and even ordered the closure of beauty salons.
“We are witnessing a moment where growing numbers of women and girls see death as preferable to living under the current circumstances,” Alison Davidian, the country representative for U.N. Women, told The Guardian.
Related
8am: Amidst the widespread exposure of moral corruption within Taliban leadership, sources report instances of extensive administrative and moral misconduct by municipal officials associated with the group in certain provinces and districts. According to information, the Taliban-appointed mayor in Sar-e pol province was arrested during the current year due to bribery allegations. He was apprehended at the provincial building, beaten, and subsequently detained. Similarly, the mayor of Aybak City of the Taliban has been apprehended for the sale of government land and accepting bribes from housing developers in Samangan province. He remains incarcerated. Other sources suggest that the Taliban mayor in the province of Ghazni is involved in profiting from unauthorized home constructions. He has been accused of renting out a road to nomads in exchange for hefty sums for his benefits. Previously, a Taliban-appointed mayor in Aliabad city of Kunduz province was detained by the Taliban intelligence agency for accepting bribes from the public and was severely physically beaten. Additionally, this agency has apprehended the mayor of the Burka district of Baghlan province for alleged sexual assault on a woman. It is noteworthy that the Taliban has consistently emphasized its commitment to eradicating corruption within its controlled administrations, presenting it as an accomplishment. Click here to read more (external link).