Photo: UNHabitatAf Stephanie Luz, Head of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme office in Afghanistan, has called on the international community not to forget the people of the country, especially women and girls, in the current difficult situation. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme reported on Tuesday (August 12), quoting her, that following the wave of deportations of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries, more than one million people have returned to Afghanistan this year alone with nothing in their hands. According to her, many of these individuals have lost their homes, property, and even their hope. Luz added that the returnees have become trapped in a cycle of homelessness and dependency and urgently need support to rebuild their lives. She stated that in a recent United Nations meeting in Geneva, governments and international organizations were called upon to increase their assistance so that returnees can rebuild their homes, livelihoods, and futures. It is worth noting that according to statistics from UN-affiliated agencies, more than one million Afghan migrants have been deported from Iran and Pakistan to the country this year alone.

Cultural and social event organized by Afghan National Peace Process with participation of youth and civil society activists, Kabul, Afghanistan, April 13, 2021. Kabul – The “Afghanistan National Peace Process” organization, in a gathering attended by a large number of citizens, warned that ignoring the role of civil society and the young generation of the country in the upcoming meeting in Turkey could strengthen the Taliban’s position and weaken the achievements of the past two decades. In its statement, this organization addressed the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the High Council for National Reconciliation, the State Ministry for Peace Affairs, the Human Rights Office, the Peace Negotiating Team, the United States Embassy, and the international community, calling on them to grant a meaningful and significant role to Afghan civil society and women in the peace process instead of handing the ground over to the Taliban. The statement added that the Taliban have previously demonstrated through their anti-women policies and disregard for human rights that they have no commitment to a sustainable and just peace. Therefore, excluding or diminishing the presence of civil society in this process will effectively mean endorsing the demands of this extremist group. The gathering titled “The Importance of Civil Society’s Role in the Peace Process and Its Supervisory Role in the Turkey Meeting” was organized at the initiative of the “Afghanistan National Peace Process.” On the sidelines of the program, letters of accreditation were granted to new members of the leadership council of this organization who were elected in the second periodic elections.

Photo: Mohsen Karimi/AFP via Getty Images The the Afghan Women Activist Coordinating Body, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s rule, has said in a statement that during this time, the situation of women, minorities, and human rights in the country has “severely deteriorated” and the reaction of the international community to these conditions has been nothing but “empty words.” The statement says that despite the continued deprivation of girls from education, the ban on women’s work, arbitrary arrests, and repeated reports of torture, humiliation, rape, and even murder of women, the Taliban’s relations with some countries of the world have improved and representatives of the group have attended international meetings. The association has also addressed the situation of Afghan migrants in neighboring countries, stating that many asylum seekers are being forcibly returned to Afghanistan despite the risk of arrest and torture. The Afghan Women Activist Coordinating Body announced that this year, on August 15, just as the international community has remained silent in the face of “Taliban crimes” over the past four years, women will symbolically and in protest to these conditions gather for 15 minutes in silence holding candles. At the end of the statement it is emphasized, “Our silence reflects the silence of the world in the face of gender apartheid; this is a mark of shame for the international community. Shame on you for not raising your voice against gender apartheid in Afghanistan.”

Photo: Ariana News The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that after the publication of a joint report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and UNAMA’s Human Rights Office on Taliban reprisals against individuals who have been forcibly returned to Afghanistan, a number of UNAMA officials have been summoned to the ministry. Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote in a post on the social media platform X that this summons was carried out on the orders of the Taliban’s prime minister and after the formation of a commission to review the report. The commission was chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and included the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Ministry of Interior Affairs, and General Directorate of Intelligence. According to Takal, the commission concluded after its review that the UNAMA report “in a limited way” mentioned some positive actions, but “overall, by using wordplay and distorting the facts, it has caused concern among the minds of returned migrants.” He claimed that the report focused more on the “individual experiences of a few” and ignored the experiences of “millions of Afghans who have returned to the country in safety and with dignity.” Takal also described the use of terms such as “torture, arbitrary arrest, reprisal, and mistreatment” as “politically motivated” and said that these allegations cannot be investigated due to “ambiguity regarding the location, person, and time.” He emphasized that UNAMA officials were told to “seriously review” their reporting methods and warned that if what the Taliban call “similar violations” is repeated, the group will take “appropriate action.” This comes after UNAMA and the UN Office of Human Rights published a report on July 24 stating that former officials and military personnel of the previous government, women activists, journalists, and civil society activists who have been forcibly returned to Afghanistan have faced serious violations of their human rights, including torture, arbitrary arrest, and threats to their personal security by the Taliban. According to the report, some former officials and military personnel said that after returning to Afghanistan, they have been forced to live in hiding due to fear of harassment by the Taliban. Others said they were tortured during detention.

Photo: 8am newspaper The Women’s Freedom and Thought Foundation, in a statement, said that restricting women’s movement and imposing the wearing of the burqa on women in Panjshir province is a continuation of the Taliban’s “misogynistic policies” and that these actions are in contradiction with religious values and international commitments. The statement added that through such policies, the Taliban not only strip half of society of dignity and freedom but also push the country’s social, cultural, and economic future toward destruction. The organization called on human rights organizations and institutions to increase pressure on the Taliban and to record and document cases of human rights violations in Afghanistan. This comes after earlier reports of severe restrictions on women’s movement and the imposition of the burqa in Panjshir. According to the quarterly report of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) published yesterday, the Taliban have intensified pressure on women to comply with their preferred form of hijab.

Photo: Nanna Muus Steffensen / The Guardian On one hot summer day, after a difficult school exam, I returned home. My father called everyone and, with a voice full of concern, asked us to get ready to leave. The war in the north had intensified and the sound of clashes had filled everywhere with fear and horror. People were leaving their homes one by one to save their lives. But I, a girl with a thousand and one dreams, cared about only one thing: what would happen to my exams? I was the top student in my class and was worried that leaving the city before finishing my exams would make all my efforts go to waste. My father, who saw the situation more seriously than I did, kindly tried to calm me down. While knowing that the situation would get even worse and being anxious himself, he only said: “For now, just think about saving your life.” At that time, Kabul had not yet fallen and there were no clashes to witness, but the north of the country was ablaze; full of war, fear, and armed conflict. Our whole family set off for Kabul, but little did we know that Kabul would fall so easily. Only a few days had passed since our arrival in Kabul when the news of the city’s fall came. Oh, that day… I do not know exactly what I felt, I only know that it seemed as if everything collapsed all at once. My mind was full of questions, I talked to myself for hours, and I was anxious about a future that no longer seemed bright. Somehow, I felt that harder days were on the way. I would sit by the window and watch the planes taking off one by one from Kabul airport. Sometimes I wished I were among those who left this land and went towards a better life, because I knew no bright future would take shape for us here. That year I was supposed to travel to India for one of the leadership programs (LEAP8). Out of hundreds of girls from all over Afghanistan, I was one of the 25 girls selected for this program. I was very excited; traveling, learning, getting to know the world… everything was a sweet dream for me. But this beautiful dream of mine was broken very soon. The United States Embassy in Afghanistan was closed, and because our program was supported by it, it was canceled. I remember exactly how bad I felt; I had worked very hard to participate in this program, and now that I had succeeded and was only a short time away from going, everything changed. But this was not only Mursal’s story, it was the story of all Afghan girls. We were all suddenly deprived of school, university, and even the right to joy. I was forced to sit in a corner of the house after finishing school, because I was among the last batch of high school graduates after the fall who were not even allowed to participate in the Kankor exam. Life had become dark and difficult for me, and yet every day I kept dreaming about going to university, and hope was still alive in my heart. While all the doors were closed to us, I did not give up and continued teaching and learning. I started teaching English online, and for months, in a corner of my room, behind closed doors, I tried to ensure that the light of knowledge and education would not be extinguished in the hearts of the few girls I taught. Alongside that, I applied for various scholarships. Finally, in 2024, I succeeded in receiving three scholarships from Iran, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan. Among these three countries, I chose to continue my education in Pakistan. The day I received the email confirming my success in the Pakistan scholarship, I can say it was one of the best days of my life; a day when, in the heart of despair, a spark of hope came to life. I was going to university, a dream I had carried in my heart for a long time was about to come true. In June 2024, I traveled. I was forced to leave behind my homeland, my family, and everyone I loved, and move forward to build a better future. It was very difficult for me; I was the youngest daughter in my family and had never experienced being away from them. But there was no other choice; I had to travel, I had to endure hardships so that I could reach my goals. Today, I study my favorite field at the best university in Islamabad. This path was not easy for me; it was full of pain, longing, and challenges. I wrote this story to be a light for those who are still waiting behind closed doors for their dreams to come true. Strong girls of my homeland! I know these days are hard, the road is dark, and your hearts are weary, but please do not give up. I was one of you too; deprived of every right, with a world full of tears, pain, and half-finished dreams. But I am still standing, still learning, writing, and dreaming. Stay strong and do not lose hope. One day all our dreams will come true; no girl will have to fight to learn, but will learn with pride. And that day is not far.

Photo: Ebrahim Noroozi, AP via france24 The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said today, Sunday (August 10), in a new human rights report that the Taliban have increased enforcement of the mandatory hijab directive and imposed further restrictions on women’s movement. The report, prepared by UNAMA’s Human Rights Service and covering the period from April to June this year, says that in May, Taliban officers from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat city forced women to wear the burqa and barred dozens of them from entering markets and using public transportation for not wearing it. UNAMA added that some of these women were detained and held until their families brought them burqas, after which they were released. In June, in Tarinkot city of Uruzgan province, women who wore arabic hijabs instead of burqas were also arrested. According to the report, the Taliban have also enforced the mandatory “mahram” rule in a way that is not even specified in the group’s own Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice law. In some provinces, health clinics, markets, government offices, and taxi drivers have been instructed not to provide services to women without a mahram. According to UNAMA, women are banned from going to parks, gardens, stadiums, and recreational places. On May 23, Taliban forces in Lal wa Sarjangal district of Ghor province expelled several families from a recreational site and warned them not to return without observing the restrictions. Similarly, on May 16 in Injil district of Herat province, the Taliban denied entry to recreational sites to families accompanied by women and girls, allowing only all-male groups to enter. The Taliban have not yet responded to this UNAMA report. This comes as about two weeks ago, the Taliban launched a wave of arrests of women and girls in Kabul for not wearing the attire they require. Over the past four years, the Taliban have imposed extensive restrictions on the lives of women and girls, from banning the education of girls above sixth grade to prohibiting their work in government offices, media, and international organizations, and even preventing their free presence in society. Despite repeated calls from the international community to restore women’s rights, the Taliban continue to claim that these rights are respected in accordance with Islamic Sharia, but the existing reality shows a completely different picture.

Photo: Daily Outlook Afghanistan / IFJ With the suspension of visa extensions and the increase in arrests in Pakistan, dozens of Afghan journalists who fled to the country after the Taliban’s return to power are now facing the risk of forced deportation. On yesterday (August 9), these journalists, expressing concern over this situation, called on the Pakistani government, media support organizations, and international bodies to take urgent action to prevent their deportation and return to Afghanistan. According to them, this situation has forced their women, men, and children to live in fear and anxiety, and to spend days and nights in the streets or unfamiliar areas, which further threatens their safety. The exiled journalists, while expressing gratitude for the hospitality of the people and government of Pakistan, emphasized that the process of returning migrants should respect human rights principles and standards, and should not allow them to fall back into the hands of the Taliban. They have warned that the continuation of this process could have severe consequences for freedom of expression and the personal safety of journalists. After the Taliban’s takeover, thousands of journalists sought refuge in Pakistan, and many have been waiting for months or even years to be relocated to European countries or the United States. The suspension of visa extensions and the increase in arrests have now heightened the risk of their return and exposure to Taliban reprisals.

Photo: Laura Goodgame / U.S. Air Force / Public Domain Local sources in Khost province say that in two separate incidents in the province, a teenage girl and a teenage boy have committed suicide. According to the sources, the incidents took place on Friday (August 8) in the districts of Dua-Manda and Ismailkhel Mandozi. In one of these incidents, a 15-year-old girl in the village of Seyedkhel in Du-Manda district, and in the other case, a 13-year-old boy in the village of Mita Khan in Ismailkhel Mandozi district, took their own lives. Sources say that poverty and family problems were the main reasons for these suicides. The number of suicide cases has increased in various parts of the country since the Taliban’s takeover, with most of the victims being women and girls. In many of these cases, domestic violence and economic pressure are cited as the main causes.

Sent to Zan TV On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover, the Powerful Women of Afghanistan Movement, condemning the group’s four years in power, has said that this day is recorded in the collective memory of the Afghan people as a “dark and painful day,” and that since then, the country has fallen into darkness, repression, discrimination, and crisis. The movement emphasized that the Taliban, through force and without any political or popular legitimacy, have plunged Afghanistan into one of the darkest periods in its history, a period in which women and girls have been systematically deprived of basic rights, the media has been censored, civil activists have been silenced or exiled, minorities have been subjected to discrimination and abuse, and poverty and economic crisis have gripped the majority of the population. The Powerful Women of Afghanistan Movement stated that August 15 is a “Day of Resistance and Justice,” not a day of forgetting, and that the Taliban government is “illegitimate, misogynistic, and an open violator of human rights.” The movement has called on the international community to refrain from recognizing the Taliban and to prioritize urgent support for women, human rights defenders, journalists, and vulnerable minorities.