Afghanistan International: Local sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban prevented Shia Muslims from holding Eid al-Fitr prayers in some areas of Kabul. According to the sources, most Shia Muslims observed Eid on Saturday, but Taliban forces were deployed at the entrances of Shia mosques, including in western Kabul, to block the prayers. Click here
The Guardian (UK): The shocking level of physical violence against women permitted under the Taliban’s new laws has been revealed this week by the case of a woman in northern Afghanistan, who said she was beaten with a cable wire by her husband and told by a judge: “You want a divorce just because of
NPR: Girls dressed as boys has been documented for centuries in the patriarchal society of Afghanistan. It even has a term: a girl who disguises her gender is called a bacha posh — literally “dressing like a boy.” Bacha posh girls have long captured the imaginations of Westerners in Afghanistan. It was addressed in the
8am: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Amnesty International says that many women in Afghanistan have had to set aside their identities and become invisible. The organization said in a statement on Sunday, 8 March, that it is calling for an end to human rights violations in Afghanistan. The organization says that the Taliban
8am: On Saturday, March 7, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the organization stated that the deprivation of girls in Afghanistan from education threatens their future and that this situation should not be normalized. UN Women added that there is currently not a single girl receiving an education in secondary schools across Afghanistan. Click
Amnesty International: The new Criminal Regulation recently endorsed by the Taliban leader will further entrench violence and discrimination against women, Amnesty International said in a new legal analysis documenting its wide-ranging and regressive impact on human rights. The “Criminal Procedure Regulation of the Courts”, which lays out punishments and sentencing for a range of vague
Afghanistan International: Afghanistan has ranked last among 181 countries in the latest Women, Peace and Security Index published by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, recording the poorest performance on women’s rights. Denmark ranked first. Click here to read more (external link). Related AFJC: Taliban Shut Down Radio Khushal in Ghazni for Airing
Amu: Afghanistan has become a “graveyard for human rights,” the United Nations high commissioner for human rights said on Thursday, warning that an expanding body of Taliban decrees is entrenching repression, particularly against women and girls. Speaking at the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, Volker Turk said a “cascade of edicts and
Afghanistan International: Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said in a new report that women’s and girls’ access to healthcare has been severely restricted since the Taliban returned to power. The report says bans on women’s education and employment, as well as restrictions on freedom of movement, have deepened
8am: The majority of Persian speakers and speakers of other commonly used languages in the country have expressed concern over what they describe as unfair and exclusionary language policies of past ruling authorities, as well as the language policies of the Taliban. Click here to read more (external link).