In the dry and cold mountains of Ghor province, where life from childhood has taught girls that “silent breathing” is an art, lived a girl who once thought she could change the world; with books, with pens, with knowledge. Her name is Shahla Quraishi; she is 18 years old, but the life of her dreams was much shorter than she thought.

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, warns that the international community should not only be limited to issuing statements regarding human rights violations in Afghanistan and that practical and more serious measures must be taken in hand to support Afghan women and girls.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says that following the Taliban’s ban on female employees, eight service centers for returnees in Afghanistan have been closed.

The Taliban government has announced a ban on the activities of visual media in Panjshir province, an action that Nai in Exile has described as another sign of the “weakening of freedom of expression” in Afghanistan.