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Image: WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP Several female teachers in Herat have spoken out about the Taliban’s latest restrictive measure, saying the group has now forced them to wear the chadari or burqa; a decision that many women see as a complete return to darkness and the complete exclusion of women from education.. Shaqayeq Mushfiq, a veteran teacher, told Zan News: “The Taliban are intensifying their war against women day by day. I went to ensure that the girls who come to class with such enthusiasm would not miss their lessons, but the Taliban did not let me in because I was wearing a black shawl instead of a burqa. I am fifty years old, who do they think is going to look at me?” These words from Shaqayeq paint a painful picture of the current reality for Afghan women; women caught between their commitment to education and the restrictions imposed by the Taliban. Frozan Tokhi, another female teacher in Herat, also spoke with distress: “The day before, we were warned not to go to school without wearing the burqa. I wore it, but I could neither see the road clearly nor breathe easily. When I entered the classroom, all the students were terrified. The burqa is not just a piece of cloth; it is a shadow of fear and suffocation that weighs heavily on the minds and hearts of women and children.” This new restriction comes as thousands of women across Afghanistan continue to suffer from the deprivation of education and work. Now, with the enforcement of compulsory burqa, the Taliban have taken yet another step towards silencing women and erasing their identity.

Image: Quddus khatibi/Facebook Local sources in Herat say that the Taliban have arrested a female doctor in the province and released her several hours later. According to the sources, Taliban agents from the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice arrested Dr Shabnam Fazli, a general surgeon, on Monday morning (November 10) at the gate of Herat Regional Hospital. Qudus Khatibi, Dr Fazli’s husband, confirmed that she was released a few hours after her arrest. It has been said that her arrest was linked to the Taliban’s recent directive, which bans women without burqas from entering government institutions, including hospitals and schools. In response to this decision, several women protesters in Kabul and Herat burned burqas in a symbolic act, calling it “a tool of oppression and the exclusion of women from society.” Women’s rights activists say that with this decision, the Taliban have taken another step towards “gender apartheid”; a process that began with the exclusion of women from education and employment and has now reached their complete removal from public life.

Image: Wakil Kohsar/AFP As part of the new restrictions imposed by the Taliban in the Farsi district of Herat province, new directives have been issued for public transport drivers, requiring them to refrain from picking up women who are not wearing a chadari or burqa, even if they are accompanied by a male guardian. Fereshta, a resident of the district aged over 60, shared her distressing experience with Zan News when attempting to travel to the centre of Herat. She said that taxi drivers refused to take her because she was not wearing a burqa. Fereshta added: “We were invited to my daughter’s house in Herat. When my husband and I went to the roadside, no one picked me up. They said, ‘You do not have a burqa, and we are not allowed to take you.’” Sudaba, another resident of the district, spoke of facing similar difficulties. She said that while travelling with her daughters and elder son to Herat, she waited by the roadside for two hours, but no driver agreed to pick them up. Sudaba stated: “In the end, I went home and found a burqa from the previous Taliban regime. I wore it, and my son and I managed to reach the city, but my daughters could not come with us.” These restrictions are not limited to drivers and passengers. Last week, the Taliban also issued directives banning women without a burqa from entering hospitals and government offices. These new policies reflect the growing pressure on women in Afghanistan, many of whom now face serious obstacles even when attempting to make essential journeys.

Sent to Zan TV The 10th edition of the Ghan International Film Festival Australia (GIFFA) was held in Sydney, where Afghan women brought their silenced voices to the world through the screen. A special section of the festival was dedicated to documentaries from Afghanistan, portraying the suffering and resilience of Afghan women living under Taliban rule. One of the standout films was “Shot the Voice of Freedom”, directed by Zainab Entezar, a filmmaker who herself took part in women’s protests in Afghanistan and captured real scenes of struggle and repression. The film tells the story of two sisters who stand up against Taliban restrictions and violence. Sent to Zan TV The festival, organised by a group of filmmakers and activists based in Australia, was attended by Afghan women protesters, artists, and social figures. Participants said that in a country like Afghanistan, where freedom of expression, cinema, and women’s voices for education and liberty have been silenced, this section of the festival reflected the painful realities and enduring resistance of Afghan women.

googleimage Taliban security officials in Logar say a mother and her daughter have been killed by thieves in the province. According to a statement issued by the Taliban’s provincial police command on Saturday (8 November), the incident took place in Pul-e-Alam, the capital of Logar province. The statement said the thieves killed the 60-year-old mother and her 13-year-old daughter with an axe after knocking them unconscious, and placed their bodies inside a chest. The Taliban police command added that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident in the Omarabad area. According to the Taliban, around 4,000 US dollars and 200,000 Afghanis were stolen from the victims’ home. The incident comes despite repeated claims by the Taliban of having ensured “nationwide security.” However, reports indicate that violent crimes such as theft, murder, and abduction have increased in recent months. Residents in several provinces say the Taliban have failed to ensure safety and prevent crime.

Sent to Zan TV In response to the Taliban’s new order making the wearing of the burqa mandatory for women, the Afghanistan Women’s History Transformation Movement held a protest in Kabul, during which participants set burqas on fire. In a statement, the movement described the Taliban’s decision as “an inhumane decree and a tool of domination aimed at erasing women from society,” adding: “No religious or moral authority can justify coercion, repression, and violence against women. The Taliban are using religion as a means to impose control and eliminate half of society.” The statement further said that forcing women to wear the burqa constitutes a blatant violation of fundamental human rights and a clear example of “systematic misogyny.” The movement called on the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, and governments supporting gender equality to formally condemn the Taliban’s decree, apply political and legal pressure on the group, and take practical steps to support Afghan women. This protest followed the Taliban’s recent move in Herat province, where the group has made wearing the burqa compulsory for women. According to the new order, taxi drivers are prohibited from picking up women not wearing a burqa, and women without a burqa are banned from entering hospitals and health centres. Local sources in Herat say female teachers have also been forced to wear the burqa. The decree, which came into effect on Wednesday, has severely disrupted women’s daily lives. According to reports, access to healthcare for women has decreased, and some have been denied treatment for not wearing the burqa.

Photo: AFP As the forced deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan continues, Bakhtar News Agency, the Taliban-controlled outlet, has reported that on yesterday (November 7), a total of 1,809 Afghan families returned to the country. According to the report, these families entered Afghanistan through the Pul-e-Abreshm in Nimroz, Islam Qala in Herat, Spin Boldak in Kandahar, Torkham in Nangarhar, and Bahramcha in Helmand. Two days earlier, nearly 2,000 other families had also returned, a trend that continues to rise daily. Earlier, both Iran and Pakistan announced plans to deport hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants by the end of this year; a decision that international organisations have described as a violation of human rights law and the principle of non-refoulement. UN experts have warned that returnees, particularly journalists, women’s rights activists, and former military personnel, face risks of arrest, torture, and Taliban retaliation upon return. Women and girls, already deprived of education, work, and public participation under the “gender apartheid,” face further poverty, insecurity, and psychological harm upon forced return. Amid ongoing poverty and repression inside Afghanistan, the mass return of thousands of families, especially women and children paints a grim new picture of a deepening humanitarian catastrophe.

Photo: Wakil Koahsar/AFP In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, even medical treatment has become forbidden for women who do not wear the chadari or burqa. In the latest incident, on Wednesday (5 November), the Taliban in Herat prevented women and girls without burqas from entering the province’s central hospital. The move once again demonstrates that the Taliban have not only shut women out of social and educational life but are now closing the doors of hospitals to them as well. Jan-Gul, a woman who had come to the hospital for her daughter-in-law’s delivery, told Zan News: “My daughter-in-law was due to give birth and was bleeding heavily. I told the Taliban that if she wasn’t allowed to go inside, she would die. One of them said, ‘Not wearing the hijab is death itself; dying is better than being without it.’ I cried and begged, but it was no use.” This painful account reveals the true face of the cruelty and inhumanity behind the Taliban’s so-called “Islamic law”; policies that, in reality, sacrifice women’s lives to a narrow and oppressive interpretation of religion. Suraya, another girl from Herat, who sought treatment at the hospital’s neurology department, said she waited for hours outside the gate of Herat Regional Hospital hoping to be allowed in, but eventually had to return home in despair. “In the Taliban’s culture, a woman is seen as an unnecessary and imprisoned being. I was ill, but they did not allow me to see a doctor. The constant pressure and humiliation have broken me mentally, and now I cannot even go to a doctor,” she said. These incidents are only part of the long chain of oppression against women in Afghanistan. From banning girls’ education to removing women from government offices, closing university doors, and now denying them the most basic human right, access to medical care; the Taliban appear determined to erase women from social and human existence. In the society the Taliban have built, a woman cannot be a patient, a student, an employee, or even a mother in labour. She must hide, remain silent, and die, lest her very presence disturb the male order of the Taliban.

Photo: aryanasayeed/Instagram Aryana Sayeed, a renowned Afghan artist, has been nominated for the prestigious Hollywood Music in Media Award for her song “We Believe in Hope.” According to Deadline, the song, which was created for the film “Rule Breakers,” competes in the category of Best Original Song – Independent Film. “We Believe in Hope” was composed in collaboration with Jeff Beal and Joan Beal and was inspired by the true story of Afghanistan’s all-girl robotics team. Aryana Sayeed is set to perform the song live at the 16th annual Hollywood Music in Media Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on November 19. The event will also feature performances by major music figures such as Diane Warren, A.R. Rahman, and Kesha. This marks the first time that an Afghan female artist has been listed among the finalists for this international award. The Hollywood Music in Media Awards is one of the most respected art events in the United States, recognising outstanding composers, songwriters, and performers in film, television, and video games. This achievement comes at a time when, inside Afghanistan, the Taliban have banned all musical performances and prohibited women from appearing on stage. Dozens of female artists have been forced to leave the country. Aryana Sayeed, who once performed on Kabul’s grand stages, now represents the voice of Afghan women on one of the world’s biggest music stages; a voice silenced at home but resonating across the world.

Exclusivea Following the powerful earthquake in Samangan and Balkh provinces, women in these regions have expressed deep concern over the lack of healthcare services, shelter, and basic necessities, saying that life after the disaster has become extremely difficult for them. Hamida, a resident of Balkh province, told Zan News about the dire situation she and her family face after the earthquake: “Unfortunately, when the quake struck, all our homes were destroyed, and both I and other members of my family were injured. But there are no doctors or medicine available on time. Our plea is that both the authorities and aid organisations pay attention to healthcare and shelter for us.” This is only part of the tragedy that women in these areas are facing. Exclusive Shafiqa, one of the earthquake-affected women in Khulm district of Balkh province, told Zan News that due to the shortage of female doctors in the region, many injured women and girls are at serious risk. She said: “A large number of women and girls in our area have been injured, but unfortunately there are very few doctors and medicines. Our fear is that many of these women and girls may die, and no one will come to their aid.” Meanwhile, Zulekha, a woman from Samangan province, described to Zan News the unbearable and painful conditions she has been experiencing since the earthquake. She said that she had spent several nights and days without shelter together with her children, and due to the cold weather, her children have fallen ill with seasonal diseases. Zulekha warned: “If serious measures are not taken to provide proper shelter, these illnesses may worsen, and my children could lose their lives.” Exclusive This report reflects only a fraction of the dire situation faced by earthquake-affected women in northern Afghanistan; women who are still waiting for urgent assistance and serious attention from government and aid agencies. As they seek immediate help, they also need sustained support for healthcare, shelter, and other essential needs to rebuild their lives.