Farangis Najibullah, Mustafa Sarwar and Abdul Hamid Hakimi Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty March 15, 2025 Every two hours. That’s how often a woman dies during childbirth in Afghanistan. The staggering maternal mortality rate is one of the highest in the world. And under the repressive rule of the Taliban, the situation is only getting worse.
Roshan Noorzai Noshaba Ashna VOA News March 14, 2025 WASHINGTON — When Naveeda Khoshbo published her book of political analysis in 2019, she received widespread praise and recognition. For many, “it was the first time that they were reading a book written by a young woman,” she said. So, when she received a text message from
Afghanistan International: The Taliban’s morality police have banned women from praying in mosques in Kandahar and Herat, sources told Afghanistan International. On Monday night, during evening prayers, the Taliban expelled women from several mosques in Kandahar. Women in Herat also reported that since the start of Ramadan, the Taliban have blocked their access to mosques.
Amu: On this day 24 years ago, the Taliban carried out one of the most infamous acts of cultural destruction in modern history, demolishing the ancient Buddhas of Bamiyan, two towering statues that had stood for centuries as symbols of Afghanistan’s rich Buddhist heritage. On March 11, 2001, Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar ordered the
VOA News March 8, 2025 WASHINGTON — Four years ago, Yalda never imagined that she would not be able to continue her education or achieve her dream of graduating from school. “My parents would often talk about the Taliban’s first rule [in the 1990s],” recalled Yalda, who requested that her full name not be used for
8am: During 48 days of imprisonment in the Taliban Intelligence Directorate in Daykundi Province and three months in the Taliban’s Intelligence Directorate 40 in Kabul, they urinated on my face several times. They administered electric shocks to me over a hundred times and used contaminated water hoses to empty my stomach. Several times, they hung
8am: The women describe methods of torture including hanging by the feet, placing plastic bags over their heads and faces, binding their hands behind their backs, keeping them in damp rooms, whipping with belts, placing the barrel of a Kalashnikov near their ears, and threatening them with death. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: Local sources in Takhar province report that Abdul Nasir, a resident of Farkhar district, has died as a result of torture by the Taliban’s intelligence forces. This is not the first case of a detainee dying in Taliban custody. Over the past three years, numerous reports have surfaced of individuals dying due to
Afghanistan International: The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), in its annual Democracy Index 2024 report, has ranked Afghanistan as the most authoritarian country in the world, placing it last among 167 nations. The report, published by the research division of The Economist magazine, awarded Afghanistan a score of just 0.25 out of 10, highlighting the extreme
Times of India: In Afghanistan, the brutal tradition of Bacha Bazi—the sexual exploitation of young boys—continues to thrive despite official bans and international condemnation. Footage, shared by British journalist and writer David Patrikarakos on social media, showed boys forced to dance for the Taliban, a harrowing precursor to systematic abuse. After the Taliban took control