Zan News: The Taliban Supreme Court has announced that four individuals, including two women, in Farkhar district of Takhar province have been flogged. Photo: Social Media Taliban Flog Four People, Including Two Women, in Takhar February 17, 2025 Zan News Zan News: The Taliban Supreme Court has announced that four individuals, including two women, in Farkhar district of Takhar province have been flogged. This court stated in a press release on Monday (February 17) that these individuals were flogged on charges of extramarital relations. According to the press release, three of these individuals have each been sentenced to one year and six months imprisonment and 39 lashes, while one individual has been sentenced to five years imprisonment and 39 lashes. It is worth noting that despite global criticism, the Taliban continue to carry out desert trials of citizens. These actions have been met with widespread condemnation from international organizations and human rights activists.

Zan News: The Taliban's Supreme Court announced that a woman and a man were publicly flogged in the Bagram district of Parwan province on charges of "adultery." Source: Social Media Taliban Flog a Woman and a Man in Bagram February 25, 2025 Zan News Zan News: The Taliban's Supreme Court announced that a woman and a man were publicly flogged in the Bagram district of Parwan province on charges of "adultery." According to the court, these individuals were each lashed 39 times on Sunday (23 February) based on a ruling by the primary court of Bagram district and were also sentenced to six years in prison. This action comes as the Taliban announced yesterday that they had publicly flogged 18 individuals, including four women, in Khost province. It is worth noting that since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have also executed six individuals in front of hundreds of spectators. However, international human rights organizations consider physical punishments and public executions a violation of international laws and human dignity and have called for an immediate halt to these actions.

Zan News: The United Nations Security Council has announced that it will hold a meeting on Afghanistan this month. File photo: Julio Obscura / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain United Nations Security Council Will Hold a Meeting on Afghanistan December 2, 2024 Zan News Zan News: The United Nations Security Council has announced that it will hold a meeting on Afghanistan this month. In a statement released by the council on Monday (December 2), it has announced the holding of this meeting, but has not provided details regarding its exact date. According to the statement, in this meeting, Roza Otunbayeva, the Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Andrés Montalvo Sosa, Ecuador's Ambassador and Chairman of the Afghanistan Sanctions Committee, and an official from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will speak. The Security Council also mentioned that a representative from Afghanistan's civil society will attend this meeting, and after the official meeting, closed-door discussions will also take place. Although the agenda for this meeting has not yet been clarified, it is happening at a time when various UN agencies in Afghanistan have warned about the escalation of the humanitarian crisis and human rights violations by the Taliban.

Zan News: A number of politicians, former government officials, and human rights activists have sent an open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, urging the international community to provide meaningful support for the fundamental rights of the Afghan people. Photo: Leif Jørgensen / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Politicians and Human Rights Activists Call for Meaningful Global Support for the Fundamental Rights of Afghan People October 7, 2024 Zan News Zan News: A number of politicians, former government officials, and human rights activists have sent an open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, urging the international community to provide meaningful support for the fundamental rights of the Afghan people. In the letter, they call on the UN Security Council, the Human Rights Council, and UNAMA to take immediate and strong action to guarantee the rights of Afghan citizens in line with international human rights documents. The letter specifically highlights the detention of political analyst Jawed Kohistani by the Taliban, describing it as a case of "forced disappearance" and a clear violation of international human rights law. The authors stress that Kohistani’s denial of access to medical care constitutes "cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment." The Taliban are accused in the letter of systematically violating the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of the Afghan people. The activists and politicians also call on UNAMA to pressure the Taliban to provide transparency regarding detentions and to ensure detainees' unconditional access to fair trials. Other demands include launching an investigation by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women into the Taliban's policies and pressuring the group to lift the travel ban on Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan. The letter is signed by figures such as Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, former Foreign Minister; Malik Setiz, researcher and human rights defender; Abdul Latif Pedram, politician; Shaharzad Akbar, former Chair of the Afghanistan Human Rights Commission; Shukria Barakzai, former member of parliament; and Mujib Khelwatgar, journalist. It is noteworthy that over the past three years, the Taliban have violated the rights of Afghan citizens, particularly women and girls. During this period, numerous human rights activists and journalists have been detained by the Taliban. In just the past few days, the group has arrested and imprisoned a political analyst and two journalists.

Zan News: Local sources in Farah province have reported that the body of a woman found hanging was discovered in the province. Image: Joshbaumgartner / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain Body of a Woman Found Hanging in Farah November 18, 2024 Zan News Zan News: Local sources in Farah province have reported that the body of a woman found hanging was discovered in the province. According to sources, the body was found on Saturday night (16 November) in the Lash wa Juwayn district of Farah. The sources have stated that the woman was first strangled and then killed. Meanwhile, one source confirmed that the body of the woman was transferred from the Lash wa Juwayn district to the center of Farah. The motive behind this incident remains unclear, and Taliban officials have not made any statements regarding it. It is worth noting that previously, two women in Farah province had committed suicide due to domestic violence.

Zan News: Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, has stated that the United States condemns the Taliban's discriminatory orders that threaten the rights and lives of Afghan women and girls. File photo: U.S. Department of State / Chuck Kennedy / Public Domain Blinken: The U.S. Condemns the Taliban's Discriminatory Orders and Supports the Rights of Afghan Women December 12, 2024 Zan News Zan News: Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, has stated that the United States condemns the Taliban's discriminatory orders that threaten the rights and lives of Afghan women and girls. Blinken made these comments on Wednesday (December 11) on his X account, emphasizing: "The full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in society is not just a matter of equality; it is essential." He also emphasized that the United States stands firmly in support of Afghan women and girls. These remarks come as the Taliban has issued numerous decrees imposing severe restrictions on the rights and freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan. In its latest order, the group has banned girls from studying in medical institutes.

Zan News: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has reported a rise in threats, arbitrary arrests, and the risk of deportation for Afghan journalists in Pakistan. Zan TV / AI-generated Increase in Threats and Risk of Deportation for Afghan Journalists in Pakistan March 15, 2025 Zan News Zan News: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has reported a rise in threats, arbitrary arrests, and the risk of deportation for Afghan journalists in Pakistan. According to the report, published on Friday (March 14), exiled Afghan journalists not only remain under threat from the Taliban but also face legal and economic difficulties. This report, part of the 22nd Annual South Asia Press Freedom Report, highlights that since the Taliban regained power in 2021, media freedom in Afghanistan has been severely restricted, forcing many journalists to flee. The IFJ stated that the Taliban have unlawfully detained at least 14 journalists and recorded 85 cases of violence against journalists in 2023. The organization also noted that pressure on Afghan refugees in Pakistan has increased in recent months. In October 2023, the Pakistani government announced the deportation of undocumented migrants by November of the same year, leading to the expulsion of 20,000 Afghans and the voluntary departure of 350,000 others. The International Federation of Journalists has urged the global community to take action in supporting Afghan journalists and ensuring their security and resettlement in safe countries.

Zan News: A number of men in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan have told the Washington Post that they regret not supporting women's rights against the group. File photo: Wikimedia Commons Afghan Men Regret Not Supporting Women's Rights Against the Taliban September 23, 2024 Zan News Zan News: A number of men in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan have told the Washington Post that they regret not supporting women's rights against the group. In a report published on Sunday (September 22), the Washington Post wrote that with the Taliban's adoption of the law on promoting virtue and preventing vice, not only have living conditions become extremely difficult for women, but also for men. According to the report, the new Taliban law obliges men to grow beards and avoid imitating "non-Muslims." One Kabul resident who wished to remain anonymous said, "If men had raised their voices, we might be in a different situation now... Now everyone is growing beards because we don't want to be humiliated or insulted by the Taliban." In this report, some residents of Kabul city have stated that Taliban’s Department of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has forced men to participate in congregational prayers in some areas of the city over the past month. Government employees also fear they may be dismissed for having short beards. One such employee told the Washington Post, "We've heard that some government employees whose beards were shorter than necessary were prevented from entering their workplaces by the Taliban." According to the report, the Taliban have also arrested taxi drivers for transporting women without a male guardian and playing music. One 36-year-old driver in Kabul said his income had decreased by 70% since the implementation of this law. Meanwhile, a resident of eastern Afghanistan, who wished to remain anonymous, stressed that the use of force to enforce Sharia law is unacceptable. This comes as the Taliban, after regaining power in Afghanistan, have imposed widespread restrictions on citizens, especially women and girls in the country.

Zan News: The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) has announced that Afghan women and girls made up over one-fifth of all asylum applicants to the EU in 2023. Illustration: Zan TV / AI-generated Afghan Women and Girls Constitute One-Fifth of EU Asylum Applicants in 2023 June 20, 2024 Zan News Zan News: The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) has announced that Afghan women and girls made up over one-fifth of all asylum applicants to the EU in 2023. In a recent report, the EUAA stated that women, girls, and other vulnerable groups in Afghanistan continue to face severe threats of persecution. According to the report, Afghan citizens submitted approximately 118,000 asylum applications to EU countries in 2023, which represents a slight decrease compared to 2022. The report highlights that over one-fifth of all asylum applicants were Afghan women and girls. It also notes that Germany remains the primary destination for Afghan asylum seekers, with the acceptance rate of Afghan asylum applications in EU countries standing at 55%, meaning that about half of the applicants were granted asylum. Previously, the EUAA had announced that women in Afghanistan qualify for asylum due to persecution and oppression by the Taliban. This comes as, since the Taliban's takeover, women have been banned from education, employment, and participating in many public places, and severe restrictions have been placed on their travel.

Zan News - Badakhshan: Local sources in Badakhshan province report that the Roz Development and Economic Institute, in cooperation with Taliban education officials, has distributed hijabs to girls in four schools in Faizabad City, the provincial capital. Distribution of Hijabs and Uniforms for Girl Students in Faizabad Schools by Roz Economic Institute in Collaboration with the Taliban June 4, 2024 Zan News Zan News - Badakhshan: Local sources in Badakhshan province report that the Roz Development and Economic Institute, in cooperation with Taliban education officials, has distributed hijabs to girls in four schools in Faizabad City, the provincial capital. The sources said on Monday (June 3) that hijabs were distributed to at least 200 girls in grades 5 and 6 at No. 2 Girls' High School, Bagh Shah, Al-Jihad, and Makhfi Badakhshi High Schools. The families of the students considered this action by the hijab-producing institute as a "good service" to the Taliban and added that the main goal of the institute is economic use. On the other hand, Nazia Baharistani, the head of the institute, said that her goal is to provide clothes and uniforms for all students in Badakhshan elementary schools and to help poor families. Meanwhile, Taliban education officials in Badakhshan have announced that the institute has distributed school uniforms in addition to hijabs to students. According to the announcement of this department, hijabs and uniforms have been distributed to 50 girls in each school and it is planned to distribute hijabs and uniforms to about 500 girls in elementary schools in the Baharak and Shahada districts. It should be noted that the Taliban, after returning to power, have imposed extensive restrictions on the clothing of women and girls and have ordered women to wear hijabs in public places. The Taliban have also banned girls above grade six from attending school.