Photo: supremecourt.gov.af Local sources in Herat say that a woman was shot dead today, Saturday (September 27), during her trial in the Taliban Court of Appeals. The incident took place around 10 a.m. in the Court of Appeals of Herat. According to sources, the woman was the wife of Abdul Rahman Muradi Alizai, a former member of the Herat Provincial Council, who was being tried on charges of killing her husband. However, after the session ended, she was shot in the court corridor and died. Sources add that the brother of Abdul Rahman Moradi is accused of this killing and is now under Taliban interrogation. Abdul Rahman Moradi was killed on 10 January 2025 in his home in Herat. At that time his death was described as “an accidental gunshot during weapon cleaning,” but his wife was arrested on charges of murder. The Taliban in Herat have so far not commented on this incident.

Nava Jamshidi The Human Rights Activists Union, in an investigative report published today, Thursday (September 25), has warned that the Taliban, through propaganda exploitation of the tourism industry, are seeking to create a false image of security in Afghanistan, while evidence shows that the country has become one of the most dangerous destinations in the world for foreign tourists. This union says the Taliban, by inviting YouTubers and foreign tourists, try to portray safe conditions, but at least six documented cases of tourists’ arrests during the past four years, including instances with threats of execution and long-term imprisonment, reveal the bitter reality of Afghanistan. Among these examples, the seven-month detention of the British couple Peter and Barbara Reynolds in Bamyan and their imprisonment under inhuman conditions, including windowless underground cells, is one of the prominent cases. Kevin Curtis, an American tourist, was also arrested by the Taliban in 2022 while visiting Kabul and described their prison conditions as “inhuman.” In addition, Matthew Hahn and Miles Routledge, two British YouTubers, were separately arrested in 2023 and released after weeks and months of imprisonment. According to the Human Rights Activists Union, these arrests are usually carried out without any legal reason and are accompanied by threats, psychological torture, and inhuman conditions in prisons. Estimates indicate that between 2021 and September 2025, at least 10 to 30 foreign tourists may have been arrested or disappeared in Afghanistan. The report adds that the Taliban, through severe media repression and restrictions on reporting, prevent the full release of figures, and the actual number of victims is likely much higher than the documented cases. The Human Rights Activists Union emphasize that Taliban propaganda is in clear contradiction with the reality on the ground and that traveling to Afghanistan can put the lives of tourists at risk. According to this union, world countries must issue serious warnings about traveling to Afghanistan and hold the Taliban accountable as human rights violators in the matter of arbitrary arrests. This report comes at a time when the Taliban, since their return to power in August 2021, have tried to use the presence of foreign tourists for propaganda purposes to display a positive image of themselves, an act that civil activists call “dangerous deception” and “a cover-up of the group’s systematic crimes.”

Taliban local officials in Kunar province say that following the collapse of a house roof due to rainfall and storm in Munawar district, two children have died and four others, including two women, have been injured. ZiahullRahman SpinGhar, head of information at the Taliban’s Department of Information and Culture in Kunar, said that this incident occurred before noon today, Thursday (September 25), in the village of Chinar in Munawar district. According to him, all the victims are members of one family and the injured have been taken to the hospital. SpinGhar did not explain the exact cause of this incident, but such events usually occur due to the dilapidated condition of mud houses. Previously as well, in a number of provinces of the country, the collapse of walls and roofs due to rainfall and storms has claimed the lives of citizens. Houses in villages and remote areas of Afghanistan are mostly built in non-standard ways from mud, which become worn out after snowfall and rain and collapse.

Wakil Kohsar/AFP Local sources in Helmand say that today, Thursday (September 25), the Taliban announced in an official meeting with journalists that the publication of any video or photo of living beings in the media is prohibited. A local source told Zan News that this order was issued by the Helmand Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice based on Article 22 of the Law on Promotion of Virtue. At the same time, a number of local activists have announced on social networks that due to this prohibition, their media activities have been stopped. This restriction previously applied only to the media and government offices, but now it has been fully imposed on all media and institutions. This action comes while about three days ago the Taliban in Herat province also issued a similar order, a decision that created a wave of concern about media freedom and the people’s right to access information in Afghanistan.

Photo: Javed Tanveer/AFP Taliban’s Department for the Promotion of Virtue officials in Kandahar, through a new order, have prohibited male doctors from treating female patients and have threatened to imprison them in case of disobedience. This action, which practically deprives female patients of dental services in the absence of female doctors, has sparked a new wave of concerns about the systematic violation of women’s rights in Afghanistan. According to local sources, on Wednesday (September 24) officers from the Department for the Promotion of Virtue raided dental clinics in districts two, four and eleven of Kandahar city and expelled female patients from the treatment centers. One of the clinic officials, who did not want his name revealed, said: “It was ten in the morning when the officers came, they expelled the female patients and warned that men no longer have the right to treat women.” This is not the first time the Taliban have restricted women’s access to health services. Last year, the Taliban’s Department of Invitation and Guidance for Public Health in Kandahar, in an official letter, required female employees to attend health centers only with mandatory hijab and in the accompanied of a male guardian. Experts say these policies have practically reduced women’s access to treatment to “the minimum possible.” The Afghanistan Analysts Network has warned that the Taliban’s restrictions in the health sector have put the lives of thousands of women and children at risk. During the recent earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan, preventing women from being treated by male doctors fueled the humanitarian crisis. Reports show that many women and children could not receive vital medical services due to the shortage of female doctors and the Taliban’s restrictions. The World Health Organization, in a recent report, has also stated that Taliban’s gender discrimination has deprived women of vital health services, especially in earthquake-affected provinces such as Kunar, Nangarhar and Laghman. The organization has warned that the absence of female medical staff and the Taliban’s prevention of women visiting male doctors directly threatens the lives of women and children. Along with these restrictions, the Taliban have also deprived Afghan women of the right to work, education and travel without a male guardian, a policy which, according to international organizations, is a clear example of “gender apartheid” in the twenty-first century.

REUTERS/John Sibley The Afghan women’s refugee football team is set to participate in an international competition next month for the first time since the Taliban takeover. According to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the friendly tournament, titled “FIFA Unites: Women’s Series,” will be held from October 23 to 29 in Dubai. The women’s national teams of the UAE, Chad, and Libya will also take part in the competition. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, said in a statement: “Access to football for all women is a priority for FIFA. These matches are not only a competition but also a symbol of hope and progress for women around the world.” FIFA confirmed that all games of the tournament will be broadcast live on the organization’s online platform. This comes as, since the Taliban’s return to power, women’s sports in Afghanistan have been effectively banned, forcing many athletes to leave the country.

Photo: AFP Save the Children has warned that at least 11,000 pregnant women in the earthquake-affected areas of eastern Afghanistan are living in tents and difficult conditions and may have to give birth in these temporary shelters. On Wednesday (September 24), the organization published a report stressing that with the arrival of winter, the lives of mothers and newborns are under serious threat. According to the organization’s findings, about 90 percent of earthquake-affected families have lost their homes and are now living in tents or in the open air. In addition, 39,000 children in these areas are exposed to the cold without necessary facilities. Samira Sayed Rahman, Save the Children’s Program Director in Afghanistan, said: “No baby should take their first breath in a tent. No child should be without shoes, warm clothes, or heating as winter approaches. There is now a race against time to keep newborns and children in these areas safe from the dangers of the harsh winter.” Save the Children stated that in Kunar Province and other affected areas it is providing mobile health services, cash and hygiene assistance, as well as psychosocial support, but emphasized that existing resources are insufficient and there is an urgent need for international aid. This comes after a 5-magnitude earthquake earlier this month struck the eastern provinces of Afghanistan, especially Kunar, Nangarhar, and Nuristan, leaving more than 2,200 dead and thousands injured. Thousands of homes were destroyed, with the mountainous regions of Kunar suffering the most damage. Landslides have blocked many roads, making access to hospitals difficult. The shortage of female doctors, Taliban restrictions on female aid workers, and lack of medical equipment have compounded the crisis for pregnant women. The United Nations has also stated that nearly half a million people are in need of immediate assistance following the earthquake.

GoogleImage The Afghanistan Media Support Organization (AMSO), in a statement, has called the Taliban’s recent decision in Herat to ban the publication of images of living beings a “clear violation of freedom of expression and people’s access to information” and has warned of its consequences. On Wednesday (September 24), the organization said: “This action not only restricts media freedom but also delivers a major blow to media, cultural, and social activities in the country.” AMSO emphasized that by imposing such restrictions, the Taliban deprive the media of their essential role in informing and raising awareness, and the ban on publishing images of living beings has no compatibility with media standards, press freedom, and the people’s right to know. The organization added that this action by the Taliban is in clear contradiction with international laws and global human rights conventions. The organization has called on the Taliban to allow the media to operate freely instead of exerting pressure and censorship. It has also urged press freedom advocates and the international community not to remain silent in the face of this Taliban action and to take concrete and serious steps to support Afghan media and journalists. This comes after the Taliban’s department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat, in a meeting with local media officials yesterday, ordered that the publication of any image of living beings, including humans, is “forbidden and prohibited.”

Social Media In a new and controversial move, the Taliban’s Department of Vice and Virtue in Herat province issued an official order on Tuesday (September 23) during a meeting with local media officials, prohibiting the publication of images of living beings. According to officials of this department, “the publication of images of living beings, including humans, in the media is contrary to Sharia rulings” and has explicitly been declared “forbidden and prohibited.” This decision has met with strong and alarming reactions from local media outlets in Herat. A number of media managers and owners described this decree as an organized attempt by the Taliban to silence independent media and further restrict freedom of expression. Some have also warned that with the implementation of this ban, many media outlets will be forced to cease their activities. One media manager, who requested anonymity, told Zan News: “When the publication of images of journalists, interviewees, or even educational visual content is banned, continuing media work becomes practically impossible. This decision is not only against the principles of journalism but also a heavy blow to freedom of information in Afghanistan.” This new Taliban decision comes as the international community, human rights organizations, and media support bodies have repeatedly warned about the dire state of freedom of expression in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, restrictions on the activities of media outlets, journalists, and especially women in this sector have increased to unprecedented levels. Political analysts believe that such restrictions are part of the Taliban’s ideological approach to achieving complete control over the public sphere and society’s mindset, a strategy that not only threatens media independence but also gravely undermines citizens’ access to free and reliable information. Currently, many local media outlets in Herat and other provinces are already facing financial shortages, severe censorship, and security pressures. With the ban on publishing images of living beings, a new wave of media closures and journalist migration abroad is likely to begin.

Image Source: voanews Islamic Relief has warned that Afghanistan this year is facing the largest wave of forced returns of refugees in the world; a wave that has brought nearly three million people into the country in the past nine months, with women and children making up a large portion. In a report published on Tuesday (September 23), the organization stated that more than two million people have returned from Iran and about 700,000 from Pakistan during this period. One-third of the returnees from Iran and nearly half of those from Pakistan are women and girls. According to the organization, most of the returnees enter the country in conditions described as “poor, exhausted, and hopeless” and are in urgent need of support, shelter, food, and health services. This wave has hit Afghanistan at a time when the country is simultaneously facing several other crises, from deadly recent earthquakes in the east to economic collapse, severe food insecurity, and widespread drought. Islamic Relief also reported that the capacity to respond to this crisis has been reduced due to Taliban policies. The report highlighted the closure of eight service centers of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which were shut down due to the Taliban’s ban on women working. Despite these restrictions, Islamic Relief stated that it has so far distributed more than 290,000 packages of food and drinking water at the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings with Pakistan and Islam Qala with Iran. Officials of the organization have warned that returnees are being sent to Afghanistan “by force” and that their prospects for life in a country facing deep economic, environmental, and humanitarian crises are “bleak and worrying.”