Ariana: Aino Mina defeated Adalat Farah 2-1 in the 27th match of Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) in Kabul on Friday. In the other game of the day, Khorasan Faryab beat Jawanan Wahedi with the same result. In Saturday’s matches, Sarsabz Yashlar will face Khadim at 1:00 p.m. and Sorkh Poshan Khafi will face Istiqlal Kabul at 3:30 p.m. The matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television. Click here to read more (external link).
UN observes reduction in Taliban’s enforcement of hijab on Afghan women
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
May 2, 2024
A new United Nations report suggested Thursday that the hardline Taliban government in Afghanistan has eased its drive to enforce an Islamic dress code or hijab on women.
However, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, noted in its quarterly report that violations of human rights at large continued under the Taliban regime.
The Taliban have mandated that Afghan women wear what is termed as the “sharia hijab” in public, covering their faces entirely or only showing their eyes. The operations to enforce the dress code are carried out by the group’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
While UNAMA continued to receive reports of the enforcement of the hijab instruction by the Taliban ministry, the report said that “such incidents significantly decreased after January 2024 with the cessation of the large-scale enforcement actions which took place between December 2023 and January 2024.”
On January 11, the UNAMA raised the alarm over numerous cases of girls and women across Afghanistan, some held incommunicado, being detained, and others reportedly ill-treated for alleged non-compliance with the hijab. Taliban authorities at the time dismissed U.N. concerns as “incorrect” and “propaganda.”
Thursday’s UNAMA report noted that the new school year in Afghanistan commenced without the presence of girls in high schools due to the Taliban’s continued ban on girls’ education beyond grade six.
“An invitation to attend a ceremony in Kabul marking the commencement of the new academic year, issued to media by the de facto Ministry of Education, specifically instructed women journalists not to attend, citing a “lack of proper place[s]” for women,” the report said.
The UNAMA reported that journalists and media workers continue to operate in a challenging environment in Afghanistan, with the media facing a range of restrictions imposed by the Taliban and the risk of arbitrary detention in the course of their work.
Taliban authorities carried out three public executions of individuals sentenced to death on murder charges, the report said. Since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, they have publicly executed five murder convicts despite U.N. calls for halting the practice.
“The de facto authorities also continue to implement judicial corporal punishment in public, with such punishments taking place in at least one province each week,” the UNAMA said.
The Taliban have publicly flogged hundreds of men and women in sports stadiums in the presence of thousands of onlookers. The victims were convicted of offenses such as theft, robbery, adultery, and other “moral crimes” by Taliban courts.
Afghan women have also been barred from many public and private workplaces, including the United Nations.
Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has defended his governance, saying it is strictly in line with local culture and Islamic law. He has dismissed international criticism of his policies and strict interpretation of Islamic law as an interference in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs.
The international community has refused to recognize the Taliban government primarily over its harsh treatment of Afghan women.
Islamic State group said to be recruiting greater numbers in Afghanistan
Stars and Stripes: ISIS-K is taking advantage of poor economic conditions and instability in Afghanistan that came after the Taliban seized the country from the U.S.-backed government in 2021, said Kamran Bokhari, senior director of the Eurasian Security and Prosperity program at the Washington-based New Lines Institute. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – May 2, 2024
Religious Minorities Face Harassment in Afghanistan, Reports USCIRF
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).
Taliban Physically Assault & Torture Dozens of Inmates at Pul-e-Charkhi Prison
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. Click here to read more (external link).
Divisions Among Anti-Taliban Forces
8am: The inability of the anti-Taliban military fronts to gain geographical footholds can be attributed to many factors, but a significant one is the lack of cohesion among these fronts. The Afghanistan Freedom Front and the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) are fighting in practice to either compel the Taliban to negotiate or overthrow their regime, but due to their ambitions, they have failed to stand together and support each other. One likely reason for the lack of cohesion or unity between these two military fronts is leadership. Figures like Yasin Zia probably do not want to fight under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud, and conversely, Ahmad Massoud does not tolerate someone like Yasin Zia leading. For this reason, they call each other to unity and alliance but practically do not engage in dialogue to achieve this unity. This significant and destructive flaw also exists among other groups and movements opposed to the Taliban. Click here to read more (external link).
Sorkh Poshan Khafi and Khadim FC winners in their ACL matches
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. Click here to read more (external link).
The Taliban targeted us, beat us and chased us out. This is how we run our Afghan newspaper from exile
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. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – May 1, 2024