Search Results

Social Media The Taliban have suppressed a protest by residents of the Jebrael area of Herat against the group’s detention of women, using gunfire and beatings. The protest was held today, Tuesday (9 June), after several days of arrests of women and girls by Taliban morality officials in Herat over the type of dress required by the group. During the protest, dozens of residents of Jebrael gathered at around 8:00 am along the main road of the township and at Bahar-e-Zendagi intersection. Protesters chanted “education, work, freedom”. Local sources say Taliban forces opened fire to disperse the protesters and beat a number of them with sticks and stones. According to sources, at least three protesters were injured and taken to hospital. Sources also said that a child near the protest site was injured by bullet fragments. According to them, after dispersing the gathering, the Taliban increased the presence of its forces in Jebrael, and the area has taken on a military atmosphere. Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, has expressed concern over the Taliban’s excessive use of force against protesters in Herat. He wrote today on X that those responsible for the violence must be held accountable. Mr Bennett added that the time has come to de-escalate tensions, respect citizens’ freedoms, especially those of women and girls, and prevent further harm. The protest was held in response to the detention of women in Herat in recent days. Georgette Gagnon, Acting Head of UNAMA, said yesterday at a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council that the Taliban detained at least 30 women in Herat on Saturday and Sunday because of their clothing. This comes as the Taliban, since returning to power in 2021, have imposed sweeping restrictions on women’s dress, movement, education, work and social presence.

Photo: © Martin Keep / AFP / Getty Images The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced that Afghanistan’s women’s refugee team will travel to England this summer for a sports tour. According to the England and Wales Cricket Board, the tour will begin on 22 June and will provide Afghan players with training opportunities and Twenty20 matches. The players will also attend the final of the 206 Women’s T20 World Cup in England. The England and Wales Cricket Board said the tour is important culturally and in sporting terms. According to the board, following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, women in Afghanistan have been systematically excluded from sport and public life. It is worth noting that more than 20 members of the former Afghanistan women’s national team have been living in exile in Australia since 2021, following the Taliban’s return to power and the effective ban on women’s participation in sport. The Afghanistan women’s selected team played its first competitive match in January 2025 in Melbourne and was also present in India during the 50 over World Cup late last year. The England and Wales Cricket Board said the England tour is an opportunity for the players to continue their sporting path and reconnect with global cricket. The board added that cricket has a responsibility to support inclusion and equal opportunity in sport. Clare Connor, Deputy Chief Executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board and Managing Director of England Women’s Cricket, said the players have continued their sporting journey in difficult circumstances after being displaced from Afghanistan. She added that hosting the team is part of the board’s support for women’s participation in sport. Mel Jones, from the organisation It’s Game On, said the tour is an important step forward, but shows that much work remains to be done. She said the players, despite what has been taken from them, have maintained their courage and commitment to cricket and should be recognised as part of the global cricket community. The International Cricket Council established a special working group in April last year to support displaced Afghan women players. The organisation, in cooperation with the England and Wales Cricket Board, Cricket Australia and the Board of Control for Cricket in India, has allocated a financial fund to support these players.

Source: Too Young To Wed The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says the Taliban’s Decree No. 18 on “separation of spouses” could increase child marriage because, under the decree, a girl’s silence after reaching puberty may be interpreted as consent to marriage. The organisation said such a provision weakens the principle of free and full consent and undermines the protection of the best interests of the child. UNAMA expressed serious concern on Thursday (21 May) over the Taliban’s announcement of Decree No. 18 regarding separation between husband and wife. According to the organisation, the decree is another step in the erosion of the rights of women and girls and the institutionalisation of discrimination in law and practice. UNAMA said the regulation operates within an unequal framework for women seeking separation from their husbands. According to the UNAMA statement, men under the decree have the unilateral right to divorce, while women must follow complex and restrictive legal procedures to separate from their husbands. The organisation said this situation reinforces structural discrimination and limits women’s autonomy in matters relating to their dignity, security and well being. Georgette Gagnon, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General and Acting Head of UNAMA, said Decree No. 18 is part of a broader and deeply concerning pattern that erodes the rights of Afghan women and girls. She added that the decree, together with restrictions on girls’ education and women’s participation in public life, institutionalises discrimination and deprives women and girls of freedom, opportunities and access to justice. UNAMA said the decree must be viewed within the context of measures that have affected women’s rights since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. The organisation noted that the Taliban’s first decree on women’s rights in December 2021 recognised certain rights, including women’s consent in marriage and the right to inheritance, but subsequent decrees have weakened those protections. UNAMA also referred to the Taliban’s Decree No. 12 issued in 2026, saying it restricted judicial intervention in marriage related matters. According to UNAMA, under that decree, husbands found guilty of severe physical abuse against women are sentenced to only 15 days in prison. UNAMA stressed that Afghanistan remains bound by its international human rights obligations, including the elimination of violence against women and the protection of children’s rights. The organisation called on the Taliban to align their laws, policies and practices with international human rights commitments. It is worth noting that the Taliban published the “Regulation on Separation of Spouses” on 14 May 2026 in the official gazette of the Ministry of Justice. The stated purpose of the decree is to define the conditions and rulings for separation between husband and wife in different situations and to grant judges the authority to issue separation orders when conditions are met. Previously, a number of women’s rights activists and human rights organisations called for the repeal of the regulation, saying it could increase child marriage. Some Afghan and international media outlets have referred to it as the “Taliban child marriage law”. This comes as, since 2021, bans on girls’ secondary and higher education, restrictions on women’s access to work and new decrees on marriage and separation have deprived millions of Afghan women and girls of education, economic participation and equal access to justice. Decree No. 18, alongside other Taliban restrictions, further deepens legal inequalities against women and girls in family matters, marriage and judicial processes.

Photo: © Felipe Dana / AP Photo Three women released from Taliban prisons have shared disturbing accounts with Zan News about their experiences inside the group’s detention centres. The women say that in Taliban prisons, “security, law and human dignity” have no meaning. Aqlima, one of the women, who says she was detained six months ago for refusing to accept Taliban restrictions, says the prison environment was filled with threats and pressure from the beginning. She says: “I did not know whether the Taliban prison was a place for reform or a centre of prostitution, because they forced everyone into prostitution. Taliban members entered the women’s prison section, and we lived in a constant atmosphere of fear and pressure. They told us they had imprisoned us for reform, but in reality there was only humiliation, threats and violent treatment. They raped women and girls by force. Any resistance we showed was answered with punishment and pressure. They took us to solitary confinement and then Taliban members would even rape prisoners in groups.” She stresses that women in Taliban prisons had no protection and no real way to file complaints or defend themselves. Meanwhile, Soraya, another woman released from prison, describes her experience in Taliban detention: “From the moment we entered until the nights, prison meant fear for us. There was not a single moment of safety. Every abusive or inappropriate act went unanswered, and there was no institution to address it. Not only young Taliban members, even their elders came and harmed women from behind the prison windows. They forcibly did whatever they wanted, and we could do nothing.” Rangina also describes her experience in this way: “Neither elderly women nor young girls, none of us were safe. At night, the prison was filled with fear and helplessness. There was no system or mechanism to protect women. Taliban members said they were tired of young girls and should also enjoy elderly women because they had experience. Whenever they wanted, they came and raped any woman or girl they chose, even in front of her cellmates.” These women say Taliban prisons have become not places for reform, but environments of repression, intimidation and the destruction of women’s psychological and human security. These accounts come as previous reports have also documented torture, sexual abuse, mistreatment and the absence of independent oversight in Taliban detention centres. The Taliban detain women on accusations such as failing to observe compulsory hijab, participating in protests, civil activism, “moral crimes” and even begging. The group describes these arrests as the “implementation of Sharia”, the “protection of morality” and the “reform” of women. However, similar accounts from released women once again raise serious questions about the state of human rights, women’s safety and the functioning of detention structures in Afghanistan. International human rights organisations have repeatedly described the Taliban’s detention of women as arbitrary, lacking transparent legal procedures and part of the systematic repression of women.

Social Media Local sources in Kabul say a young man set himself on fire today, Tuesday (19 May), near Airport Road in protest against unemployment and economic pressure. According to eyewitnesses, the incident took place in the tenth district of Kabul near Phase Three of Arya Township. Witnesses said the man identified himself as a graduate of Kabul’s engineering faculty and said that despite applying to various institutions, he had been unable to find work. According to witnesses, before the incident he had complained about poverty, unemployment and economic pressure, saying he could no longer bear returning home and facing his family. Local sources said residents managed to extinguish the fire and rescue the man. According to them, he suffered severe burns and was transferred by ambulance to Sheikh Zayed Hospital after local people contacted emergency services. So far, no precise details have been released about the identity or health condition of the man. The incident comes as Afghanistan under Taliban rule is facing a severe economic crisis. United Nations reports and international organisations have repeatedly warned that millions of people in Afghanistan are unable to meet their basic living needs. In such conditions, unemployment, poverty and economic pressure, particularly on young people and vulnerable families, have had serious social and psychological consequences.

Photo: © Imogen Anderson / BBC The BBC has said in a report that extreme poverty, unemployment and hunger have forced some families in Afghanistan into difficult decisions, including selling their young daughters for marriage. The report, prepared from Chaghcharan, the capital of Ghor, describes the situation of families who, because of a lack of work, reduced humanitarian aid and drought, are unable to meet their basic needs. The report says some fathers in Ghor have said they have been forced to consider selling their young daughters to provide food, pay for treatment or settle debts. Abdul Rashid Azimi, a resident of Ghor, told the BBC that because of poverty and debt, he is willing to sell his seven year old daughters for marriage so he can feed his other children. The BBC also quoted Saeed Ahmad, another father in Ghor, as saying that he sold his five year old daughter to one of his relatives after illness and in order to pay for treatment costs. According to him, if he had money, he would never have made such a decision. This comes as cuts in aid, unemployment, drought and Taliban restrictions on women have forced poor families in Afghanistan into harmful decisions such as selling young girls and early marriage.

Photo: @nmic8 Taliban officials in Nangarhar say that three members of one family have been killed and one child injured after the roof of a house collapsed in Achin district of the province. The media office of the Taliban governor in Nangarhar said in a statement on Tuesday (19 May) that the incident occurred last night, at around 10:00 pm, in the Abdul Khil area of Achin district. According to the statement, a severe storm caused the collapse of the roof, wall and two rooms of a residential house. As a result of the incident, a 32 year old man, a 34 year old woman and a three year old child were killed. The Taliban media office in Nangarhar said that a 10 year old girl was also injured in the incident. According to the Taliban, the child was transferred to a health centre for treatment. Abdul Matin Mukhlis, the Taliban district governor in Achin, said the bodies of the victims were pulled from under the rubble with the help of local residents. This comes as in recent weeks, heavy rains, storms and flash floods in several provinces of Afghanistan have led to similar incidents.

Photo: © Wakil Kohsar / AFP The United Nations said in a new report that the Taliban’s continued restrictions on women and girls have further weakened Afghanistan’s economy and labour force. The report, published on Thursday (14 May), states that nearly 100 decrees issued by the Taliban since 2021 remain in effect and continue to restrict women and girls’ access to education, work and freedom of movement across Afghanistan. The United Nations said that millions of families in Afghanistan continue to face severe difficulties in accessing basic needs such as food, clean water, healthcare services, housing, heating and clothing. According to the report, more than 80 percent of families in Afghanistan are in debt, and nearly three quarters of them are using harmful coping mechanisms to survive. The United Nations said these methods include reducing food consumption, borrowing money and removing children from school. According to the report, around 28 million people in Afghanistan were living in poverty in 2025. The United Nations said that large scale returns of migrants, worsening drought and declining international aid have made the situation more difficult. The report states that Afghanistan’s real gross domestic product grew by only 1.9 percent in 2025, while population growth reached 6.5 percent. According to the United Nations, this situation has led to a decline in per capita income. The United Nations also said that international assistance to Afghanistan declined by around 16.5 percent in 2025, while humanitarian needs continued to rise. The report comes as the World Food Programme had previously warned that 13.8 million people in Afghanistan are facing severe food insecurity, with women and children among the most vulnerable groups.

Source: 8AM Media Local sources have reported the discovery of the bodies of three women in Kabul and Kandahar. According to sources, the bodies of two women were found today, Thursday (14 May), in the seventeenth district of Kabul city. Local residents discovered the bodies on the slope of a hill near Marshal Fahim Road. Sources said the two women were around 19 and 35 years old. Their identities have not yet been confirmed. In Kandahar, sources also reported the discovery of the body of a woman in the Nasaji area. According to sources, marks were found on her body indicating the possibility of a vehicle collision. Local residents transferred the woman’s body to Mirwais Hospital for identification. So far, the cause of death of these three women and the perpetrators behind the incidents remain unknown. Local Taliban officials in Kabul and Kandahar have not yet commented on the matter. This comes as, following the Taliban’s return to power, cases of mysterious killings, disappearances and armed robberies have increased in different parts of Afghanistan.

Social Media The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, has expressed concern over the arrest of at least three journalists by the Taliban. In a statement released on Thursday (14 May), the organisation said the journalists had been detained on unclear charges. UNAMA also expressed concern over reports of mistreatment of journalists and the confiscation of their equipment during Taliban searches. The organisation called on the Taliban to clarify the legal basis for the arrests and the charges brought against the journalists. UNAMA also stressed that legal procedures and the rights of detainees must be respected under all circumstances. The statement said that a free, independent and safe media environment is essential for transparency, accountability and the well being of Afghan society. UNAMA called on the Taliban to respect international human rights laws and allow journalists to work without fear of threats, harassment or retaliation. This comes as last week the Taliban arrested Tolo News journalists Imran Danish and Mansoor Niazi, along with Ahmad Jawid Niazi, head of Paygard News Agency, in Kabul.