Source: Ariana News / X; Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s Minister for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, has called global reactions to the group’s policies on women’s dress “unfair” during a visit to Herat. The Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice published parts of Hanafi’s speech in Herat on Monday (13 July). According to the ministry’s statement, he spoke about the implementation of the Taliban’s morality law in a meeting with scholars, local officials, tribal elders and influential figures from Farah, Ghor, Herat and Badghis provinces. Hanafi said at the meeting that some institutions and countries limit human rights to a few issues. He claimed that the Taliban have ensured human rights in Afghanistan “in accordance with Islamic Sharia”. The Taliban’s morality minister also criticised global reactions to women’s hijab in Afghanistan, saying that in some countries there is silence over violence against women and children, but there are widespread reactions to what he called the “observance of Sharia hijab” in Afghanistan. In another part of his remarks, he addressed the media and called on media officials to comply with the Taliban’s morality law and to use the media to promote the values favoured by the group. These remarks come as the arrest of women in Herat on charges of failing to observe the Taliban’s required hijab has faced protests by residents of the Jebrael area and reactions from human rights organisations in recent weeks. UNAMA had earlier said the Taliban arrested at least 30 women in Herat on 27 and 28 May on charges of failing to observe hijab, and verbally threatened hundreds of other women. After these arrests, residents of Herat’s Jebrael area took to the streets in protest. However, the Taliban violently suppressed the protest, leaving at least two people dead and several others wounded. Human rights organisations and international bodies have condemned the arrest of women over their clothing and the use of force against protesters. They have said peaceful protest is a right of the people and suppressing it amounts to a human rights violation. Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on the education, work, movement, clothing and social presence of women and girls. The group’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has in recent years become one of the main bodies enforcing these restrictions. The Taliban morality minister’s claim about ensuring human rights comes as women and girls in Afghanistan have been deprived of education above the sixth grade, university studies, many work opportunities and free participation in public life.

Image: UNICEF/UN0877098/Khayyam UNICEF has warned in a new report that 3.7 million children under the age of five in Afghanistan face a high risk of malnutrition because of food insecurity. The agency said Afghanistan is on the brink of the peak malnutrition season. According to the report, nearly half of children under five in Afghanistan suffer from stunting caused by malnutrition, and 10.3 percent are affected by severe or moderate wasting. UNICEF said around 90 percent of young children in Afghanistan live in food poverty, and many of them eat only one or two types of food a day, which is not enough for healthy child development. Dr Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, said young children are already approaching a dangerous situation even before the start of the peak malnutrition season. He stressed that action must be taken before children reach the stage of severe malnutrition. UNICEF has called for urgent assistance and greater investment to protect children’s nutrition, especially for children aged 6 to 23 months and pregnant women. This warning comes as poverty, unemployment and declining international aid since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021 have pushed millions of families into a severe food crisis.

Social Media Nasir Ahmad Faiq, acting head of Afghanistan’s mission to the United Nations, has said that the rise in mysterious killings, sexual violence, kidnappings, extrajudicial executions and forced marriages in Afghanistan is the result of the absence of rule of law and the spread of a culture of impunity under Taliban rule. Faiq wrote on his X account on Monday (13 July) that real security does not only mean the absence of war or armed conflict. He said security has meaning when people can live under the protection of rule of law, justice and accountability, without fear of killing, rape, kidnapping and violence. The acting head of Afghanistan’s mission to the United Nations wrote: “Unfortunately, today Afghanistan is deprived of such security more than ever, and women, children and other vulnerable civilians are paying the heaviest price.” Faiq added that the rise in violent crimes in Afghanistan is the direct result of the weakening of the justice system and the absence of accountability. These remarks come as the Taliban have repeatedly claimed that security has been ensured in Afghanistan. However, over nearly the past five years, numerous reports have emerged of mysterious killings, arrests, disappearances, violence against women and extrajudicial punishments in different parts of the country.

The Independent Coalition of Afghanistan Women’s Protest Movements, in response to the announcement of Kankor results without the participation of girls, has said the exam has no “academic legitimacy” and is a sign of the systematic exclusion of women and girls from education and Afghanistan’s future. The coalition, in a statement sent to Zan News on Thursday (9 July), condemned the Taliban’s announcement of Kankor results and said that millions of Afghan girls have been deprived of education, higher education and participation in Kankor for nearly five years. The statement said that announcing the results of a Kankor exam in which no girl was allowed to participate is not an educational achievement, but, according to the coalition, “a clear sign of gender apartheid and the systematic deprivation of half of Afghanistan’s population from the right to education and a future”. The Independent Coalition of Afghanistan Women’s Protest Movements said the Taliban’s policy towards girls’ education is not a temporary measure, but part of the process of excluding women from Afghanistan’s educational, social and public spheres. The coalition warned that the consequences of depriving girls of education are not limited to schools and universities. According to the movement, the destruction of human capital, the spread of poverty, an increase in forced migration, the deepening of inequality and Afghanistan’s backwardness are direct consequences of depriving millions of girls of education. The Independent Coalition of Afghanistan Women’s Protest Movements described the Taliban as directly responsible for the widespread violation of human rights and the destruction of the future of millions of girls, and said the group’s policies should face international prosecution and accountability. The movement called on the United Nations, international organisations, governments and human rights defenders to move beyond “expressing concern” and take practical and binding measures to end gender apartheid in Afghanistan. The statement said that silence and inaction in the face of this situation gives legitimacy to its continuation. Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have deprived girls of schools above the sixth grade, universities and participation in Kankor. The exclusion of girls from Kankor is not merely their removal from an exam, this policy blocks girls’ path to higher education, specialised work, economic independence and participation in Afghanistan’s future.

Image: © UNHCR / Oxygen Empire Media Production Alexander De Croo, head of the United Nations Development Programme, and Barham Salih, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, have called for the protection of the basic rights of women and girls in Afghanistan during a meeting with Taliban officials. The United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement on Wednesday (8 July) that the two officials met Taliban officials at the end of their joint visit to Afghanistan. According to the two agencies, the UN officials stressed during the meeting that women and girls must be able to participate fully in Afghanistan’s social and economic life. They said the presence of women and girls is essential for strengthening families, stabilising communities and improving Afghanistan’s future. The two UN officials also said female staff of aid organisations must be allowed to reach and assist women and girls, especially women returnees. The request comes as Afghanistan faces a large wave of returning migrants. According to the joint statement by UNDP and UNHCR, more than six million Afghans have returned to the country since 2023, and around 2.5 million more are expected to return to Afghanistan by the end of 2026. Barham Salih said nearly half of Afghanistan’s population needs humanitarian assistance. According to him, with the return of millions more Afghans, pressure on families and local communities has increased. He stressed that emergency assistance alone is not enough, and that Afghanistan’s long term recovery depends on the participation of all Afghans, especially women and girls. Alexander De Croo also said returnees need work, basic services and opportunities to rebuild their lives. According to him, for those returning to Afghanistan, return is not the end of the road, but the beginning of a new phase. Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on the education, work and social presence of women and girls. These restrictions have also made the work of aid organisations more difficult. The United Nations has repeatedly said the presence of female staff is essential to deliver assistance to women and girls in Afghanistan.

Shapoor Zadran, former bowler for Afghanistan’s national cricket team and one of the pioneering figures of the sport’s golden generation, died on Tuesday (7 July) in New Delhi, India, at the age of 38. He died one day before his 39th birthday after a long battle with a rare immune system disease, HLH. Zadran was among the players whose name is linked to the early years of Afghanistan cricket’s rise, a generation that emerged from refugee camps and limited resources and took Afghanistan to global cricket arenas. At the time of his death, he was receiving treatment at a hospital in New Delhi. HLH dangerously activates the body’s immune system and can damage the body’s organs. Zadran had been in India for treatment for several months. Shapoor Zadran played for Afghanistan’s national team between 2009 and 2020. He appeared in 80 international matches, including 44 one day internationals and 36 Twenty20 matches. The International Cricket Council, ICC, wrote that Zadran took 43 wickets in one day internationals and 37 wickets in Twenty20 matches during his international career. With these figures, he was recognised as one of the important bowlers of the formative years of Afghanistan’s national team. The most important moment of his career came at the 2015 World Cup, when Afghanistan secured its first ever World Cup victory against Scotland. Zadran hit the final winning shot in that match, and the image of him running with his arms open became one of the most memorable scenes in Afghanistan cricket. The ICC wrote that Zadran also performed strongly at the 2015 World Cup, taking 10 wickets and becoming Afghanistan’s best bowler in the tournament. In response to his death, the Afghanistan Cricket Board said Shapoor Zadran was one of the founding figures of Afghanistan cricket and that his commitment and efforts played an important role in the growth of the sport. Zadran’s death drew widespread reaction from Afghanistan’s sporting community. His funeral was held on Thursday (9 July) at Eidgah Mosque in Kabul, and his body was later buried at Tapa-e-Maranjan. A number of well known figures in Afghanistan cricket, including Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, attended the ceremony. Thousands of his fans also gathered to bid farewell to the former national team bowler. Shapoor Zadran was not only a cricket player. He was part of a generation that created moments of pride for Afghanistan. He reached the national team through hardship and showed many young Afghans that sport can create hope and national identity from deprivation. His death is not only the loss of a sporting figure for Afghanistan cricket, but the end of part of the memory of a generation that took Afghanistan cricket from the margins to the world stage. Shapoor Zadran’s memory will remain alive for Afghanistan cricket fans through that historic moment at the 2015 World Cup, the moment Afghanistan won and he ran across the field with his arms open.

Note | Dr Karima Azam, Head of the Northern Women Protest Movement On the day the Kankor results were announced, I could not see my result because the internet in Afghanistan was weak. I asked my friend in Moscow to check the result. A few minutes later, she called and happily said, “Congratulations! You have been accepted into medicine.” I cried tears of joy and performed a prayer of gratitude. Being accepted into medicine was the greatest dream and love of my life. I remember this memory today because I know the same dream lives in the hearts of thousands of Afghan girls, girls who are now deprived of the right to education, Kankor and university. I too was deprived of education in Kunduz during the first period of Taliban rule. At that time, I continued my education in home schools and with a mullah. Despite all the difficulties, I never lost hope. To all girls of Afghanistan, I say: never give up on your dreams. Hope is the first step towards every victory. No situation is permanent. A day will come when the doors of schools and universities will reopen to all girls of this land, and you will reach your dreams with dignity and pride.

Still image from video submitted to Zan TV The Women’s Movement Network, in response to the announcement of the 1405 Kankor results, has said that announcing the results of this exam without the presence of even one girl is a sign of the “burial of justice, equality and Afghanistan’s future”. The results of the general Kankor exam for 1405 were announced on Monday (6 July) by the Taliban’s National Examination Authority. The exam was held for the fourth consecutive year without the participation of girls, a matter that has drawn widespread reactions from women and human rights activists. The Women’s Movement Network said in a statement on Tuesday (7 July) that a Kankor exam without the presence of girls “is not Kankor”, but, according to the network, “an official document of gender apartheid and the systematic exclusion of half of Afghanistan’s society”. The statement said: “Today, the Taliban announced the results of Afghanistan’s Kankor without the presence of even one girl. This day is not a day of victory for knowledge, but the day of the burial of justice, equality and Afghanistan’s future.” According to reports, around 120,000 candidates took part in this year’s Kankor exam, and around 74,500 were admitted to higher education institutions. Rashed, son of Pahlawan, from Parwan province, ranked first in this year’s Kankor with a score of 360. However, there was no girl among these candidates. Afghan girls have been deprived of attending schools above the sixth grade, universities and participating in Kankor because of Taliban restrictions. The Women’s Movement Network said the exclusion of girls from Kankor is not only the result of Taliban policies, but also the consequence of the “silence, inaction and ineffective policies of the international community”. In its statement, the network condemned the Taliban for depriving girls of education and a future, and called on the United Nations, governments claiming to defend human rights and international institutions to take practical action instead of issuing repeated statements. Part of the statement said: “How long are Afghan girls supposed to pay the price of your inaction?” The Women’s Movement Network said fruitless meetings, repeated statements and ineffective diplomacy have not returned any girl to school or opened any university door to girls. The network added that the silence and inaction of the international community have emboldened the Taliban in their policy of excluding women and girls, and have turned their deprivation from education into a normalised process. This comes as the Taliban, after returning to power in 2021, closed girls’ schools above the sixth grade and later banned women and girls from attending universities. These restrictions have deprived millions of girls of continuing their education and building a professional future. At the end of its statement, the Women’s Movement Network said: “Afghanistan has no future without girls, and Kankor without girls is only evidence of the collapse of justice, humanity and the conscience of the world.” The deprivation of girls from Kankor is not only their exclusion from an educational exam. This policy blocks girls’ path to university, specialised work, economic independence and participation in Afghanistan’s future. Women’s rights activists say that as long as the doors of schools, universities and Kankor remain closed to girls, no claim about educational justice and Afghanistan’s future can be defended.

Social Media The Afghanistan Media Support Organisation, AMSO, has announced that Jawid Niazi, head of Paygard News Agency, has been released from a Taliban prison after nearly two months in detention. The organisation said the release of one journalist is not enough to guarantee media freedom, and the Taliban must release all detained journalists and media workers without conditions. In a statement on Tuesday (7 July), AMSO welcomed the release of Jawid Niazi, but described his arrest and imprisonment as “a clear violation of human rights and the principles of media freedom”. According to the organisation, Jawid Niazi’s colleagues confirmed that he was released on Monday (6 July) from Directorate 40 of the Taliban’s intelligence agency and has rejoined his family in Kabul. Jawid Niazi was arrested on 6 May this year after being summoned to the Taliban’s intelligence office. The Taliban had not clearly announced the exact reason for his arrest. AMSO said that Mansoor Niazi, journalist and presenter of political programmes at TOLOnews, and Imran Danish, journalist and head of the political department at the network, remain in Taliban detention. The Afghanistan Media Support Organisation called on the Taliban to release all detained journalists and media workers and to respect their basic rights, including access to a defence lawyer, a fair trial and job security. The organisation also called on the Taliban to refrain from threats, intimidation, pressure and extracting forced confessions from journalists. AMSO said no journalist should be arrested, tried or imprisoned for carrying out their professional duties. This comes as the Taliban have imposed wide-ranging restrictions on the media over nearly the past five years. These restrictions have led to the closure of dozens of media outlets, the migration of journalists and a sharp decline in freedom of expression in Afghanistan.

Source: Shabestan News Agency A number of teachers at religious schools, mosque instructors and Shia families in Herat province say the Taliban have banned the teaching of several religious books belonging to the Shia denomination. According to them, Taliban morality officials have in some cases collected these books from religious schools and mosques. Khadija, a teacher at a religious school in the Jebrael area of Herat, says the Taliban have instructed teachers at the school to refrain from teaching Shia religious books, especially books of prayers and supplications. She says, “All teachers were told that these books must no longer be taught. After that, Taliban morality officials collected the books.” Reza, an instructor at one of Herat’s mosques, also says the Taliban have collected books related to the Shia denomination from some mosques and religious schools. According to him, officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice said while collecting the books that these works were “against Sharia” and should not be used. Meanwhile, Mahdi, the father of a student at a religious school, says the move has caused widespread concern among Shia families. He says, “If our children are deprived of learning their own religious books, their understanding of the beliefs and teachings of their denomination will also be limited. This issue has worried many families.” These remarks come as the Taliban’s Information and Culture Directorate in Islam Qala district of Herat has also confirmed the collection of a large number of books related to the Shia denomination while they were entering Afghanistan through the Islam Qala border crossing. However, the department has not provided further details about the fate of the books, the exact reason for their collection or the legal basis for the move. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have repeatedly said they ensure the rights of all Afghan citizens in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic Sharia. However, human rights organisations have expressed concern in various reports over increasing restrictions on civil, educational and religious freedoms in Afghanistan.