Afghanistan
Afghanistan Gets Another New Political Party
![Mohammad Mohaqiq, an ethnic Hazara leader and member of parliament, says Afghanistan's institutions "are not worth the time and money invested" in them.](https://gdb.rferl.org/47760284-61AE-4754-9EE1-FDC303678B17_w250_r1_s.jpg)
The founding charter of Jabha-e Milli-e Afghanistan (National Front of Afghanistan) was unveiled at a gathering in a Kabul hotel. The party pledges to promote national unity, democracy, the rule of law, and reforms in the country.
One of its major objectives is to change Afghanistan's present presidential system into a parliamentary democracy, where provincial and municipal governments will enjoy greater autonomy from Kabul.
Former Vice President Masud stressed the need for promoting national unity, calling it a stepping stone to peace and stability.
"It's very important for us to have a national identity and a national polity," Masud said. "We can only have those when the interests of all the various ethnicities of Afghanistan are merged in a political movement."
Return Of The Northern Alliance
Masud, an ethnic Tajik, is the younger brother of late Ahmad Shah Masud, the noted guerrilla commander who fought the Red Army and the Taliban in the 1980s and 1990s.
His alliance with ethnic Hazara leader Mohaqiq and Uzbek strongmen Dostum echoes of the Northern Alliance, the coalition of warring militias that united to fight the Taliban after its emergence in the mid-1990s.
While the Northern Alliance factions received substantial international support for their anti-Taliban stance, they have been criticized by human rights campaigners and Afghan victims for perpetrating gross abuses. Many Afghans accuse them of using their new roles as politicians to accumulate wealth and strengthen control.
The National Front shares common ground with other opposition groups with connections to the Northern Alliance. Its main objective of replacing the current directly elected presidential system with a parliamentary democracy, in which the prime minister runs the government, is identical to the Coalition for Hope and Change, headed by former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah. This group is now considered the main opposition bloc.
Highlighting its opposition to the administration of President Hamid Karzai, the new political group announced a boycott of next week's loya jirga, or grand council. The gathering of tribal leaders and politicians is tasked with finding national consensus on a long-term U.S. military presence and the future of negotiations with Taliban.
Opposition Forming
Mohaqiq, a vocal parliament deputy and key leader of the National Front, sees his country looking at a long journey of democratic transition. He told supporters that after a decade of international engagement his country was merely at the beginning of its journey to stability.
"It's true that that over the past 10 years we have moved toward democracy and we have established some intuitions," Mohaqiq said. "But they are not worth the time and money invested in the effort. We backed the constitution, but have we really acted on it? The constitution will only be effective if we act under its guidance."
Kabul-based political commentator Yunus Fakor is not impressed by the arrival of the new political party. He says that the troubled past of the National Front leaders won't convince Afghans to back their new charter.
But Fakor, who recently participated in the launch of another party, Truth and Justice, notes that the emergence of new blocs on Afghanistan's political scene ahead of the presidential election in 2014 is a positive trend.
More News
- By Ray Furlong and
- RFE/RL's Radio Azadi
Where Are The Women? All-Male UN Talks With Taliban Spark Controversy
Women's rights were not on the agenda and women were excluded, as members of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban took part in UN-organized international talks in Doha on June 30-July 1, prompting criticism from human rights groups.
Afghan Talks Kick Off In Doha Amid Anger Over Taliban’s Exclusion Of Women
![Afghan activists staged a recent protest in Pakistan over the terms of the Doha meeting, including the apparent exclusion of women's issues.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-612d-08dc984fe19b_cx0_cy11_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpeg)
Two days of UN-organized talks on international relations with Taliban-led Afghanistan were getting under way in the Qatari capital, Doha, on June 30, with the Taliban present for the first time -- but rights groups expressed anger over the hard-line fundamentalist regime’s exclusion of women and its refusal to discuss women's rights at the forum.
"The Taliban had a major role in creating the agenda of this meeting and who should be in this meeting,” Shahrazad Akbar, the former head of the Independent Human Rights Commission and currently executive director of the Rawadari rights organization, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, speaking from Britain.
“This in itself is a big problem and is giving power and legitimacy to the Taliban," she said.
Habiba Sarabi, a prominent women’s rights activist and former member of the negotiating team of the deposed Afghan government, echoed those remarks, saying, “Afghan women are half of Afghan society.”
“How can we say that women are not present in important decision-making meetings. When it is specifically related to Afghanistan, women should be present and women should also participate in those decisions,” she told Radio Azadi.
This is the third such UN-sponsored meeting on Afghanistan in Doha, but the first in which the Taliban has been involved. Along with UN officials, delegations from some two dozen nations, including the United States, are expected to attend.
The Taliban was not invited to the first Doha conference and set conditions that were rejected for its participation in the second gathering in February, including that it be the sole representative of Afghanistan at the meeting.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said the group’s demands were “unacceptable” and amounted to recognizing the Taliban as the country’s legitimate government, something the international community has refused to do.
Afghan women’s rights groups and supporters have held protests inside Afghanistan and in Europe over the Taliban’s participation and its exclusion of women at the gathering.
Zahid Mustafa, who has organized a protest in Amsterdam, told Radio Azadi that "our goal by these protests is that the United Nations has invited the Taliban to this meeting on behalf of Afghans. But we are protesting this and calling for a boycott of the Doha meeting."
Shukriya Barakzai, a women's rights activist and Afghanistan's former ambassador to Norway -- who was invited to the previous meeting -- expressed frustration with the UN organizers of the summit.
"The United Nations’ looking down upon Afghan women and representatives of civil society shows that, despite the fact that this meeting was organized by the United Nations, they are acting against their own procedures and values," she told Radio Azadi from London.
She did not say if she was invited to the current gathering in Doha.
Roza Otunbaeva, the head of the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), has defended the failure to include Afghan women at the meeting, saying that women’s rights are certain to be raised with the Taliban. She said the group's inclusion in the talks does not represent a legitimization of its government.
The Taliban government, which took over after the U.S.-led international coalition left the country in mid-2020, is not recognized internationally, although Beijing has accepted credentials from a Taliban ambassador.
The United Nations has accused the Taliban of waging "gender apartheid" on women and girls since returning to power nearly three years ago, closing girls' schools and forcing women out of the workplace and out of public spaces.
Women's rights groups and civil society activists are expected to meet with international diplomats and UN officials on July 2, after the close of the official two-day talks.
But Sima Samar, the former head of Afghanistan’s human rights commission of the deposed Afghan government, said that was not sufficient action by the international community.
“They [the UN] have said they will meet the [Afghan] women on the sidelines after the end of the meeting on July 2,” she told Radio Azadi.
“If they care about women, why don't they meet with women before that, or why aren't women directly at the table, because the Taliban's desire is to erase women from all social and political issues in Afghanistan.”
The Azadi Briefing: Taliban Continues To Stamp Out Religious Freedoms
![Sikh Afghans perform a religious celebration in the eastern province of Nangarhar.](https://gdb.rferl.org/2C9573E4-3B8F-446A-9F71-E7D2A5A035F0_cx0_cy9_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.
I'm Abubakar Siddique, senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
The Key Issue
A new report by the U.S. State Department says religious freedoms continue to deteriorate under harsh Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
Published on July 26, the report details the dwindling religious freedoms for both Muslim and non-Muslim religious minorities in the country of 40 million.
"Fear of violence, persecution, and societal discrimination had prompted members of religious minorities to refrain from publicly expressing their faith," the report said.
Shi'ite Muslims, the country's largest religious minority, accuse the Sunni Taliban of abuses including "killing, torture, and forced displacement." Most Shi'a in Afghanistan are members of the historically persecuted Hazara ethnic minority.
Taliban's jihadist rival, the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), has targeted Shi'ite communities in devastating terrorist attacks.
The Taliban, meanwhile, has brutalized Afghanistan's tiny Salafist community for alleged links to IS-K.
Other religious minorities, including "Christians, Ahmadis, Baha'is, Hindus, and Sikhs," have left or are seeking to leave the country out of fear of persecution, according to the report. Those who remain are withdrawing from public expressions of their faith, "with most in hiding or opting to leave the country."
While most Afghans are Sunni Muslims who follow the Hanafi school, an estimated 15 percent of its population are Shi'a. Small communities of Hindus, Sikhs, and other non-Muslim religions continue to live in the country.
Why It's Important: The Taliban's avowed aim to impose its interpretation of Sunni Hanafi jurisprudence has marginalized religious minorities.
In the absence of a constitution and comprehensive legal framework, decrees by Taliban leaders are vulnerable to individual interpretation, opening new avenues for abuse and denial of rights.
In practice, this translates into severe and growing restrictions on the practice of any beliefs the Taliban disapproves of.
Last month, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said the Taliban's policies are "violating freedom of religion or belief for all Afghans holding a different interpretation of Islam and for members of religious minority groups."
The watchdog recommended extending "protections for freedom of religion or belief into all potential dialogue with the Taliban."
It argued in favor of targeted sanctions on Taliban leaders responsible for "severe violations of religious freedom."
What's Next: Last December, the State Department redesignated the Taliban as an "entity of particular concern" owing to grave violations of religious freedoms.
The hard-line Taliban government is unlikely to shed the designation, as it shows no signs of changing its policies in response to international pressure.
What To Keep An Eye On
Afghanistan's historic run in the ongoing T20 Cricket World Cup ended with a defeat to South Africa in the semifinal.
However, the thrashing the national side suffered on June 27 did not prevent Afghans from celebrating a remarkable sporting achievement.
"We are proud that our team made it to the semifinals," Hashmat Ahmadzai, a resident of the southeastern Khost Province, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "Our team demonstrated that they could defeat anyone."
In the northern province of Parwan, another fan, Ahmad Zahid, said their team gained more support for the sensational sport after defeating leading teams such as Australia and New Zealand.
Afghans adopted cricket while living in exile in neighboring Pakistan. Over the past two decades the Afghan national side made remarkable progress, rising from underdogs to one of the most talented sides in cricket today.
Why It's Important: The Taliban has so far tolerated cricket as its government stays away from micromanaging the team, which plays under the banner of the fallen republic.
The game has offered passion, entertainment, and united Afghans at a time when the Taliban's extremist policies deny them fundamental freedoms and rights.
That's all from me for now.
Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org
Until next time,
Abubakar Siddique
If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.
- By RFE/RL
Biden Criticized For Debate Performance, With Russia-Ukraine War A Hot Topic
![U.S. President Joe Biden (right) and former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump participate in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections at CNN's studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27.](https://gdb.rferl.org/98b268a6-6291-454c-9abc-dd67203d87b2_w250_r1_s.jpg)
U.S. President Joe Biden and his Republican rival, Donald Trump, clashed over foreign policy and Russia’s war against Ukraine in a televised debate between the two oldest candidates ever to seek the U.S. presidency.
After taking the debate stage on June 27 without shaking hands and with no audience in the hall, the current president and his predecessor laid out starkly differing views on Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
But it was Biden’s performance, his words delivered with a raspy voice and often haltingly, that overshadowed the topics being discussed and raised concerns over the 81-year-old's ability to lead the country for another four years.
Trump, who in the past has called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s tactics in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine "genius" and "very savvy," attacked Biden saying that if the United States had a "real president," Putin would not have attacked Ukraine.
"He knew not to play games with me," Trump said referring to Putin.
Biden, 81, countered by calling Putin a "war criminal" and warning that if Russia is allowed to succeed in its war, Putin would not stop at Kyiv.
"He's killed thousands and thousands of people," said Biden, who several times appeared to lose his train of thought while delivering responses.
Since the beginning of the war, the Biden administration has staunchly backed Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The United States has been the largest single contributor of military and financial aid to Kyiv during the conflict, though the most recently approved package of aid totaling $61 billion was delayed for some six months as Republican lawmakers held up the process demanding deep changes to border policy in exchange for their support.
The aid package was eventually approved though no deal on the border was reached.
Biden noted in the debate -- which was dominated by domestic policy issues such as the economy, immigration, and abortion -- that while Washington has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, he has rallied leaders from more than 50 countries around the world in a coalition to help Ukraine repel Russian troops.
"This is a guy who wants to pull out of NATO," Biden, who at times appeared halting and unfocused in his responses, said of Trump.
Earlier this month, Putin said Russia would end the war in Ukraine only if Kyiv met conditions including renouncing its NATO ambitions and ceding four partially occupied regions that Russia claims in their entirety, as well as Crimea. Ukraine dismissed the conditions as absurd and said they amounted to capitulation.
When asked about Putin’s remarks, Trump, 78, said the conditions laid out by the Russian leader “are not acceptable.”
But Trump, who voiced a litany of falsehoods during the 90-minute debate, also called Zelenskiy the "greatest salesman ever" for the Ukrainian leader’s military aid requests.
"Look, this is a war that never should have started if we had a leader," Trump said, claiming again he would be able to "settle" the war if re-elected in November.
He gave no details of how he would achieve such a result.
The Kremlin said it had no comment on the debate or the comments made during it.
“I don’t think you expect the president of Russia might set an alarm clock, wake up before morning, and watch the debates in the United States of America?" Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow when asked if Putin, who has said previously he has no preference for either candidate, had watched the debate.
Concerns Over Age
Biden’s at times stumbling performance in the debate underscored concerns about his age and whether, at 81, he is too old to serve another four-year term, and prompted questions among some Democrats over whether he should step aside as their party’s nominee.
At one point, Biden seemed to confuse Trump with Putin; at another point, in a section on immigration and border security, he gave a meandering answer, prompting Trump to counter: "I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don't think he knows what he said."
Biden "did get stronger as the debate went on but by that time, I think the panic had set in," David Axelrod, an adviser to former President Barack Obama, said on CNN. "There are going to be discussions about whether he should continue."
Speaking to supporters afterward, Biden appeared much more energetic as he kept up his attacks on Trump.
"I can't think of one thing he said out there that was true," said Biden, whose advisers said was suffering from a cold.
Elsewhere in the debate, Trump also slammed Biden for failing to gain the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been in Russian detention for more than a year on espionage charges that he, his employer, and the U.S. government have rejected as politically motivated.
The former president said Biden should have had Gershkovich, whose trial began on June 26 and is being held behind closed doors, "out a long time ago" and that Putin is "probably asking for billions and billions of dollars" for the reporter’s release.
Trump didn’t elaborate or substantiate his assertion, but it appeared to be a reference to a 2023 deal that saw the release of five detained Americans in Iran in exchange for the transfer of billions of dollars worth of frozen Iranian assets from banks in South Korea to Qatar.
Washington has said several times the funds are being held in special accounts with restricted access that allow for them to be used by Iran solely for humanitarian goods, such as medicine and food.
Trump also accused Biden of being responsible for the "most embarrassing moment in the history of our country" for the U.S.-led withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan in August 2021.
While Trump himself had agreed to the withdrawal of international troops with the Taliban leadership a year before he left office, he did not finalize the plan and it fell to Biden to oversee the operation several years later.
Biden said that when Trump left office after losing the November 2020 election, "things were in chaos."
Trump is scheduled to speak in Virginia later on June 28, while Biden has remained in Atlanta, where the debate took place, and will speak at a campaign event.
With reporting by Reuters
Afghan Women Head To Olympics On Equal Footing
![Afghan athletes, seen here at the last Olympics in Tokyo, will be competing under the same flag despite the Taliban's seizure of power.](https://gdb.rferl.org/768fd4aa-34b0-43d7-ae27-eec17261a331_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Afghan athletes face formidable hurdles under Taliban rule, particularly women, who are denied the chance to compete or even enter a gym. But when the Olympics open in Paris next month, Afghanistan will be represented by a team that epitomizes equality and global resistance to the Taliban's disregard for women's rights.
Afghanistan will field a six-member Olympic team that will consist of three women and three men, all chosen by the exiled Afghan National Olympic Committee (NOC). The team has the full support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which believes a gender-balanced team will serve as a positive example to the world.
The Taliban, which remains internationally isolated and whose unrecognized rule of Afghanistan has been marked by human rights abuses, has no stake in the team or the selection process.
Representatives of the Taliban and its authoritative bodies were denied accreditation for the Olympics and will not be represented in any way during the games that open on July 26.
The hard-line Islamist group's ban on women's sports is part of its raft of infamous restrictions that deprive Afghan women and girls of the opportunity to pursue education, employment, mobility, and deny them any prominent role in government or society.
In Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, women must be accompanied by a male chaperone even to travel outside their homes, and are barred from competitions or even working out in public gyms.
But in Paris, the athletes representing Afghanistan will be breaking taboos and restrictions. The team was selected with the goal of showcasing gender equality, and features the same number of women and men.
Kimia Yousefi, Afghanistan's fastest woman and soon to be a three-time Olympian, will be looking to best the Afghan national record of 13.29 seconds she set in the 100 meters in Tokyo. She served as the flag-bearer for Afghanistan nearly three years ago in those COVID-delayed games, which wrapped up just days before the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021.
Yousefi will be joined by the Hashemi sisters, Fariba and her older sibling Yulduz, road cyclists who are on track to be the first-ever -- male or female -- to represent Afghanistan in cycling at the Olympics.
Swimmer Fahim Anwari is among those who will be competing for Afghanistan under the anthem as well as the black, red, and green flag of the former Afghan republic ousted by the Taliban.
The tumultuous political changes in the Olympian's homeland since he represented Afghanistan in Tokyo have upturned his life and those of his compatriots.
Limited Resources
After the Taliban’s seizure of power, Anwari fled to Germany, where he has trained with limited resources and continues to represent Afghanistan in international swimming competitions.
“Problems and challenges in exile severely disrupted my practice,” he told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. “But I am doing my best to pursue my goals.”
Afghanistan's fastest man, sprinter Shah Mahmud Noorzai, will be competing in the 100 meters.
“I have trained well for the Paris games,” Noorzai, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.
Noorzai fled to neighboring Iran after the Taliban rolled into Kabul. With the help of the IOC, he trained with Iranian athletes.
Noorzai said he is looking forward to beating the national record he set in Tokyo in the 100 meters, which he ran in 10.23 seconds.
“I am proud to be the fastest man in Afghanistan,” he said. “To be the fastest man in Afghanistan’s history.”
Yunas Popalzai, the exiled secretary-general of the Afghan NOC, told Radio Azadi that in addition to Noorzai and Anwari, the judoka Mohmmad Samim will represent Afghanistan.
Akhtari said five of the Team Afghanistan athletes were based outside their home country.
“As all women’s sports are suspended in Afghanistan, [the female athletes] who were put forward were not introduced from inside the country,” he told the AFP news agency this month.
Only Samim is believed to be based in Afghanistan itself.
The objective from the beginning was to choose a balanced team of men and women to represent Afghanistan.
“We made it clear we wanted a gender-equal team,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said earlier this month. “That was the demand, and that is what we achieved.”
“The clear idea is we want to get Afghan athletes and a gender-based team in Paris,” he said. “Because of the demonstration that it gives to the world, at home in Afghanistan, and also to the rest of the world.”
The IOC provides material and financial support for the Afghan athletes competing in the biggest global sports competition.
Adams stressed that the IOC is not allowing Taliban officials to participate in the Olympics and only recognizes the NOC's right to represent Afghan athletes.
"There will be no place for Afghan authorities, the Taliban," Adams said. "No representative of the de facto authorities, the Taliban government, will be accredited."
At least three Afghan men and two women will also compete for the IOC's Refugee Olympic Team, which represents 100 million forcibly displaced people worldwide.
Manizha Talash, a breakdancer who was born in Kabul, discovered the sport on social media, and now lives in Spain, is among those who will compete with the 36-member team.
The Refugee Olympic Team will be led in Paris by Masomah Ali Zada, an Afghan road cyclist who competed for the Refugee Olympic Team in Tokyo in 2021.
Nigara Shaheen, a judoka in the 70-kilogram category, grew up as an Afghan refugee in Pakistan and practiced martial arts as a family tradition. She has lived and trained in Canada since 2022 and was also named on the Refugee Olympic Team.
Three male Afghans will be on the Refugee Olympic Team-- Amir Ansari in road cycling, Arab Sibghatullah in judo, and Farzad Mansouri in taekwondo.
Afghanistan first participated in the Olympics in 1936, but has only won two medals.
Rohullah Nikpah won men’s taekwondo medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and in the 2012 games in London.
Written by Abubakar Siddique based on reporting by Radio Azadi correspondent Faiza Ibrahimi.
- By Ray Furlong and
- RFE/RL's Radio Azadi
'Our Only Joy': Afghan Cricket Fans Celebrate T20 Glory
Celebrations of Afghanistan's historic progress to the T20 cricket World Cup semifinals took place across the country, although residents in Taliban-stronghold Kandahar said they were prevented from joining in. One happy fan in Badakhshan Province told RFE/RL that amid the economic and social problems of Taliban rule, the cricket victory over Bangladesh was "our only joy."
- By Sana Kakar and
- Abubakar Siddique
Cholera Outbreak Hits Afghanistan Amid Natural Disasters, Crumbling Health Care
![An Afghan woman holds her child as a man salvages his belongings from floodwaters outside their house in Maymana, the capital of northern Faryab Province, in May.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-0bb1-08dc789df5f1_cx0_cy7_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Shahabuddin had a brush with death when floods ripped through his community and washed away his home in northern Afghanistan.
Having survived one near-death experience, Shahabuddin soon encountered another foe: disease.
“Within 24 hours, I was so weak that I could barely walk,” the father of four, who lives in the province of Baghlan, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.
Shahabuddin is among the nearly 47,000 Afghans who have contracted cholera so far this year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
A highly infectious bacterial disease, cholera spreads through contaminated food and water and results in acute diarrhea, fever, and dehydration. If untreated, it can lead to death.
At least 25 people have died of the disease so far in 2024 in Afghanistan, which has the highest number of cases in the world, according to a WHO report released on June 19.
Experts said a series of natural disasters, including floods that devastated swaths of northern and central Afghanistan in the spring and the country’s crumbling health-care system, are behind the sharp rise in cases.
'No Access To Clean Water'
Sharafat Zaman Amar, a spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Health, said Afghanistan “does not have any confirmed” cases of cholera.
But Faridullah Omari, a physician at the National Infectious Disease Hospital in Kabul, said each day the hospital receives up to 80 patients who are suffering from water-borne diseases like cholera.
He suggested the cholera outbreak has been fueled by lack of hygiene and more people drinking unsafe water.
Communities affected by the recent floods, which killed hundreds and impacted tens of thousands of people, said the deluges destroyed much of the water supply and infrastructure in the region. They also said there was a severe shortage of medicines available to treat infectious diseases like cholera.
"People don't have access to clean water,” said Sharifullah, a resident of the northern province of Sar-e Pol, which was hit by floods.
“All the water is muddy from the floods,” he told Radio Azadi. “But people use this [dirty] water, and they don't have the means to clean it. So people, especially children, are suffering from diarrhea.”
Khodayaqal, a resident of Baghlan, said they have little access to health-care facilities after the mobile clinics deployed by aid agencies and the Taliban government in the aftermath of the floods left.
“Our children are battling with diseases,” he told Radio Azadi. “We have one clinic here, but it doesn’t have any medicine.”
In its report, the WHO said diminishing stocks of cholera vaccines, as well as population growth, natural disasters, and climate change, have led to cholera outbreaks.
The public health-care system in Afghanistan, which was largely funded by foreign aid for nearly two decades, has been in free-fall since the Taliban takeover in 2021. The militants’ seizure of power led international donors to immediately cut financial funding.
Hundreds of health facilities have been closed in the past three years, with no funds to pay the salaries of doctors and nurses. Hospitals that are still open suffer from severe shortages of medicine.
While some foreign aid organizations continue to operate in Afghanistan, many of them have been forced to curb their work as international funding diminishes.
Pakistani Security Forces Killed In Bomb Attack Claimed By Tehrik-e Taliban
![Residents of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province protest against a lack of security in the region in a June 15 demonstration that condemned both the government and extremists.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-7466-08dc8d3a4698_cx0_cy18_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpeg)
Pakistan's military said at least five soldiers in a troop convoy were killed by a roadside bomb in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province near the Afghan border in an attack claimed by the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a longtime ally of the Afghan Taliban. The attack comes after the group announced a unilateral cease-fire on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr holiday from June 17-19. The region has seen an increase in the number of deadly attacks in the past year attributed to the TTP. Relations between Afghanistan's Islamist rulers and Pakistan have been tense since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with Islamabad blaming the Taliban for sheltering the TTP. Residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have protested against the lack of security provided by Islamabad and against the actions of extremists. To read the original story by Radio Mashaal, click here.
- By AFP
No Afghan 'Reintegration' Without Progress On Rights, Says UN
![Afghan women on June 10 protest against the Taliban's upcoming participation in a UN conference in Doha.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-918c-08dc89ffc817_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Restrictions on women's rights continue to prevent Afghanistan's "reintegration" into the international community, a senior UN official said on June 21, adding that the Taliban's participation in talks in Doha on June 30-July 1 is not legitimization of the isolated hard-liners' government. Since their 2021 return to power, Taliban authorities have not been formally recognized by any nation and apply a rigorous interpretation of Islam, leading to suppression of women's freedoms that the UN has described as gender apartheid. Restrictions on women and girls, particularly in education, "deprive the country of vital human capital" and lead to a brain drain that undermines the impoverished country's future, Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN mission in the country, UNAMA, told the Security Council.
The Azadi Briefing: Sharp Rise In The Number Of Afghans Executed In Iran
![A Taliban fighter checks the passports of Afghans crossing into Iran at the border crossing of Islam Qala in the western Afghan province of Herat.](https://gdb.rferl.org/3536b14e-070a-4845-84c6-6190f5c1028e_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.
I'm Abubakar Siddique, senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
The Key Issue
Human rights groups have documented a sharp rise in the number of Afghans executed in neighboring Iran.
At least 13 Afghans have received the death penalty in the Islamic republic so far this year, according to the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR).
Another NGO -- the Norway-based group Hengaw, which closely tracks human rights violations in Iran -- put the number at 14.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of IHR, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that the number is double compared to the same period in 2023.
Amiry-Moghaddam said seven of the Afghans executed this year were convicted of murder. The rest, he said, received the death penalty over drug-related offenses.
Amiry-Moghaddam said many Afghans do not get fair trials. Thousands of Afghans are believed to be on death row in Iran.
Why It's Important: The spike in the executions comes amid a mass deportation drive targeting members of Iran's large community of Afghans.
An estimated 4.3 million Afghans currently live in Iran, according to the UN. More than 1 million have been deported in the past year.
Afghans suffer widespread abuse and discrimination in Iran, where they have often been blamed for insecurity and unemployment.
Activists have said the sharp rise in the executions of Afghans could be aimed at instilling fear in the community and discouraging other Afghans from fleeing to the Islamic republic.
An estimated 70 percent of the estimated 3.6 million Afghans who have fled their homeland after the Taliban seized power in 2021 moved to Iran.
Already one of the world's biggest executioners, Iran has intensified its use of the death penalty by carrying out at least 853 executions in 2023, a 48 percent rise from the previous year, Amnesty International said in a report released last month.
What's Next: Iranian authorities appear unlikely to significantly decrease their use of the death penalty, which rights groups say is aimed at creating fear in the population and tightening their grip on power.
As one of Iran's most marginalized and impoverished communities, Afghans are likely to continue to be the target of executions.
What To Keep An Eye On
A new World Health Organization (WHO) report says at least 25 people have died from cholera in Afghanistan so far this year.
The WHO says in 2024 there have been nearly 47,000 cases of the bacterial disease, which spreads through contaminated food and water.
Afghanistan is among the top five countries globally with the most cholera cases, alongside neighboring Pakistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the Congo.
The WHO says diminishing stocks of cholera vaccines as well as population growth, natural disasters, and climate change have led to cholera outbreaks.
Why It's Important: Afghanistan's heath-care system, which was propped up by foreign aid for nearly two decades, has been in crisis since the Taliban takeover. The militants' seizure of power led international donors to immediately cut financial funding.
Hundreds of health facilities have been closed in the past three years, with no funds to pay the salaries of doctors and nurses. Hospitals that are still open suffer from severe shortages of medicine.
While some foreign aid organizations continue to operate in Afghanistan, many of them have been forced to curb their work as international funding diminishes.
That's all from me for now.
Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org
Until next time,
Abubakar Siddique
If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.
Afghan Refugee Hasn't Saved '5 Pennies' During Decades In Pakistan
On World Refugee Day, the plight of millions of displaced Afghans is illustrated by Abdul Raziq, a bricklayer at a kiln in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan Province. Having fled his homeland decades ago, Raziq has done backbreaking manual labor for years, but he still struggles to get by. But going back to Afghanistan would be worse, he said.
- By RFE/RL
Germany Blasted For Considering Deportations Of Afghans, Syrians
![The stabbing death of a police officer in late May prompted calls for Germany to reconsider its ban against deportations to Taliban-run Afghanistan.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-634f-08dc912e426c_w250_r1_s.jpg)
A push for Germany to consider the viability of using third countries to deport Afghan and Syrian refugees and process asylum seekers is meeting stiff resistance from rights groups and advocates.
The issue was a major topic of discussion in talks between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the leaders of Germany's 16 states in Berlin on June 20.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said during a meeting of regional interior ministers the same day that "concrete negotiations" are under way and that she was "confident" a way would be found to deport Afghan or Syrian immigrants convicted of serious crimes.
Faeser said the measures would only affect a small number of people, and that in the case of Afghan nationals deportations could be conducted via third countries such as Uzbekistan.
Ahead of the meetings, which came on World Refugee Day, more than 300 organizations issued an open letter to Scholz in which they sharply criticized the initiative.
"Please issue a clear rejection of plans to outsource asylum procedures," said the letter, whose signatories included Amnesty International Germany, Doctors Without Borders, and the German migrant advocacy group Pro Asyl.
"Plans to deport refugees to non-European third countries or to carry out asylum procedures outside the EU...do not work in practice, are extremely expensive, and pose a threat to the rule of law."
The signatories argued such measures would result in serious human rights abuses and integrating asylum seekers into society can succeed with greater cooperation.
The backlash against refugees has risen among conservative and hard-right politicians after a 25-year-old Afghan was accused of stabbing a German police officer to death late last month.
Germany halted deportations to Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021, and Berlin has no diplomatic ties with the de-facto government formed by the hard-line Islamist leaders.
Germany is also a major destination for Syrians seeking to escape that country's civil war and rule under leader Bashar al-Assad. Syrians are the largest refugee group in Germany, with hundreds of thousands allowed into the country since 2015.
The security and human rights situations in both Afghanistan and Syria are considered dire by watchdogs.
Scholz has previously backed dropping Germany's ban on deportations, however. On June 19 his vice chancellor, Robert Habeck, voiced his support for deportations at least in situations where individuals were suspected of terrorism or convicted of serious crimes like murder.
Proponents of the idea are reportedly considering whether it might be possible to conduct such deportations through third countries such as Uzbekistan while still staying in compliance with international law.
Faeser told the Neue Osnabrucker newspaper that negotiations have taken place with "various countries" and "we want to consistently expel and deport Islamist threats."
The Interior Ministry is also reportedly seeking ways of conducting asylum proceedings in third countries outside the European Union, similar to plans by Italy with Albania. The United Kingdom's deal to send asylum seekers to Rwanda has also been cited by advocates as an example.
Michael Stuebgen, the interior minister of the eastern state of Brandenburg, has argued Germany could engage in talks with the Taliban and that parts of Syria are secure enough to allow the returns of refugees.
Opponents have argued that deportations of Afghans and Syrian refugees would go against the German constitution and commitments under international law and that the outsourcing of asylum procedures would violate asylum-seekers' human rights.
During their three days of talks that end on June 21, the state interior ministers are also reportedly considering cutting welfare benefits paid to Ukrainian refugees.
With reporting by dpa and AP
'A Big Betrayal': Afghan Women Sound The Alarm Ahead Of Key International Event That Will Include Taliban
![Afghan women chant slogans in protest at the closure of universities to women by the Taliban in Kabul in December 2022.](https://gdb.rferl.org/058a0000-0aff-0242-dc24-08dae509136c_cx0_cy4_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Leading Afghan women’s rights activists have sounded the alarm ahead of a major international conference on Afghanistan hosted by the United Nations.
Rights campaigners have slammed the world body for inviting the Taliban to the June 30-July 1 event in Qatar, a move that they say provides tacit international legitimacy to the Taliban’s unrecognized and internationally sanctioned government.
Activists are also enraged that the UN has made major concessions to the extremist group, which has severely curtailed women’s rights since seizing power in 2021. That includes preventing the participation of Afghan women and removing the issue of women’s rights from the agenda of the meeting in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Sima Samar, an award-winning rights campaigner and the former head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, is among those who have voiced their concerns ahead of the meeting.
“When we talk about the critical issues in Afghanistan, it will be meaningless without a discussion on human rights and the right of women to education and work,” Samar told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.
The Doha conference will bring together members of the Taliban, the special envoys to Afghanistan of over a dozen countries, and UN officials. Afghan women are barred from the main meeting, but have been invited to an informal dinner before the two-day event kicks off.
Intended to increase international engagement with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, the meeting is expected to discuss issues that include economic development, climate change, and drug eradication.
The Taliban boycotted two previous UN-sponsored meetings held in Doha since last year. The hard-line Islamist group said it would only participate if it would be the sole representative of Afghanistan at the meetings.
The Taliban has also opposed the appointment of a UN special envoy to Afghanistan, one of the key issues discussed at previous Doha meetings. One of the envoy’s main tasks would be to promote intra-Afghan dialogue.
The militants have also refused to discuss their alleged human rights violations. The Taliban has been accused of gross abuses, including extrajudicial killings, disappearances, arbitrary detentions, torture, and denying Afghans -- women and girls in particular -- their fundamental human rights.
“I’m very concerned,” said Samar. “Human rights must top the agenda while everything else should be discussed within its framework.”
Samar said she is not against international engagement with the Taliban, which has been accused of imposing gender apartheid in Afghanistan.
“But these talks must not mean ignoring all the human rights violations,” she added. “Engagement with the Taliban should not translate to ignoring or closing your eyes to all the human rights violations.”
Shaharzad Akbar is another prominent Afghan women’s rights activist who has voiced alarm ahead of the meeting.
“This conference has been organized according to the wishes of the Taliban,” Akbar, who runs the independent advocacy organization, Rawadari, told Radio Azadi.
“I’m deeply concerned because removing issues like the rights of girls and women from the agenda is a big betrayal,” she added.
'Women's Rights Crisis'
International women’s rights activists have also blasted the UN and accused the world body of bowing down to the Taliban.
Heather Barr, associate women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch, said on X on June 17 that it was “shocking” that the UN had made “very serious concessions” to the Taliban by shutting out Afghan women from the Doha meeting and taking women rights off its agenda.
“The situation of women in Afghanistan is the most serious women’s rights crisis in the world,” Barr said in a statement on June 11. “That crisis is getting serious every day.”
Meanwhile, Richard Bennett, the UN special human rights rapporteur in Afghanistan, said the Taliban “must not be allowed to dictate the terms of the UN-hosted meetings.”
“Sustained improvements in human rights must form an essential part of any way forward,” he told the UN Human Rights Council on June 18.
Zabiullah Mujahid, the chief Taliban spokesman, said Bennet’s comments and his scathing recent report about human rights in Afghanistan was part of an effort to “mislead public opinion ahead of the Doha meeting.”
Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesman for the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry, said on June 16 that “if there are any changes to the agenda and participation, it would naturally affect our decision” to participate in the Doha meeting.
Graeme Smith, a senior Afghanistan analyst at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, said a host of Western countries complained in writing to the UN about the lack of non-Taliban Afghan voices invited to the Doha meeting.
“One of the factors that resulted in the Taliban’s failure to attend previous meetings was the Taliban’s insistence on serving as the only Afghans speaking on behalf of the country,” said Smith. “Some international officials object to this idea, demanding the inclusion of so-called civil society actors.”
How Survivors Of Wartime Sexualized Violence Are Fighting For Justice And Reparations
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-c28b-08dc8ea4f825_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Rehabilitation, compensation, and, perhaps more importantly, the satisfaction that justice has been served. For survivors of wartime sexualized violence worldwide those are the essential aims of any reparations program.
However, aims don't always match outcomes. Survivors rarely receive comprehensive reparations. Instead, they often spend years in courtrooms, seeking at least some form of justice, while their attackers -- and the states they were representing -- often evade accountability.
On the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, RFE/RL tells the stories of survivors from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine, Kosovo, Chechnya, and Afghanistan and their personal struggles to seek justice.
Ukraine: 'I Want To See Them Punished'
Human rights activist Lyudmyla Huseynova, a survivor of wartime sexualized violence, is now one of the leading voices advocating for the rights of survivors in Ukraine.
Since 2014, when Russia seized control of Crimea and began backing separatists in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, she has also been helping orphans living near the front lines.
It was in the Donetsk region in 2019 that she was abducted by separatists. Falsely accused of espionage and extremism, Huseynova was brought to the infamous Izolyatsia prison in the city of Donetsk.
The Russian military and separatists in charge of the prison routinely subjected those under their control to physical and psychological abuse and torture, including of Huseynova, who said she suffered torture and sexualized violence.
"For example, everyone, just everyone, went through forced stripping at Izolyatsia, that's for sure," she recalled. "And then -- it's impossible to say who was or wasn't lucky, because it will sound cynical -- then there were many women who survived [sexualized violence]. The militants blackmailed some women, so to speak, with the chance of seeing or speaking to their children. It's so cynical and so disgusting."
In 2022, she was released as part of an all-female prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia, along with 107 other women. Now, Huseynova is fighting for reparations and punishment for the rapists, not only in her own case but in those of other survivors.
After her release, she filed a case against Russia both with Ukrainian prosecutors and at the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
"One of my personal hopes is to see them punished. I was so happy when I received confirmation that my complaint had been accepted for consideration by the [ECHR] court. And there it says [on the document]: Huseynova Vs. Russia," Huseynova said.
"In it, I documented everything that happened to me: the illegal detention, the inhumane conditions, and the instances of sexualized violence, as well as the total lack of any medical care."
In April 2024, Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament commissioner for human rights, announced the launch of an interim program to compensate the wartime survivors of sexualized violence at the hands of the Russian Army. According to a statement, up to 500 survivors will receive onetime compensation of 3,000 euros ($3,200) and additional psychological assistance from the Global Survivors Fund, a survivors-focused NGO administering the program.
"Reparations to survivors of gross human rights violations, especially victims of conflict-related sexual violence, are not limited to economic support. It is an important step toward establishing justice," Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska said in early March while discussing the program.
Alongside this, Ukrainian authorities are seeking full reparations from Russia, according to Iryna Didenko, who heads the department of the Prosecutor-General's Office handling cases of war-related sexual violence.
"We are collecting evidence for the international courts mostly. Our survivors are ready to go and testify in another country. This is what we are trying to achieve in all possible ways," Didenko told RFE/RL.
Didenko's office has documented nearly 300 cases of sexualized violence committed by invading Russian forces since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, although the true number is feared to be much higher and growing.
Survivors of sexualized violence are also seeking other forms of compensation from Russia as well, says Khrystyna Kit, director of Ukrainian female lawyers association JurFem.
"We are also talking about other forms of reparations, in line with international law," Kit said.
Igor Cvetkovski, a specialist from the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) who is currently working in Ukraine, says reparations can include "psychosocial support" and "vocational training," along with "helping children born from rape."
Given the fact that many survivors of sexualized violence may not come forward, it is important that they have the option to seek help and justice even decades later, Cvetkovski says.
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Not Paying Up
Ms. A, as she was referred to in court documents, was sexually assaulted near Sarajevo in 1993 in an area controlled by ethnic Serb forces. She was 32 at the time of the attack and has been waiting nearly as many years for compensation.
She came closer to finding justice in 2015, when her attacker was found guilty in a Bosnian court of wartime rape and sentenced to eight years in prison. He was also ordered to pay his victim the equivalent of some $16,000 but has not yet paid, claiming he did not have the money.
Four years later, Ms. A also appealed to the UN Committee Against Torture, which issued a recommendation in 2019 that Bosnia-Herzegovina compensate her instead. But that too has not happened.
Nearly 30 years after the end of the war in Bosnia, survivors of wartime sexual violence are still struggling to access the assistance and protection they need.
"The working group [in Bosnia] appointed to implement the decision and create a strategic plan of measures for implementation was truly dysfunctional," said Ms. A's lawyer, Ajna Mahmic, who works with Trial International, a Geneva-based NGO that helps victims and seeks justice for international crimes.
During the Bosnian War, which lasted from 1992 to 1995, it is estimated that between 20,000 and 50,000 women, girls, and men were raped. Many of them never received proper medical and psychological care or financial support. Bosnia does not have a countrywide law to support victims of war, including those who have suffered sexual violence.
Thirty-two individuals were convicted for crimes of sexual violence by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which ceased functioning in December 2017. Since then, more than 90 convictions on sexual-violence charges have been handed down by local courts. In some cases, perpetrators were obliged to pay compensation ranging from $8,200 to $33,000.
While across the former Yugoslavia efforts have been made to bring perpetrators of wartime sexual violence to justice, their victims have largely been forgotten, Cvetkovski says.
"There has been no regional reparations program, nor an adequate national reparations program -- except for laws in Croatia and Kosovo, and some efforts in Bosnia-Herzegovina," Cvetkovski told RFE/RL.
"However, there has been no comprehensive approach to reparations for victims of sexual violence or any other type of victims."
In its findings, the UN Committee Against Torture also recommended that Bosnia create a fund to compensate all wartime victims of sexual crimes, a system of psychological support, as well as issue a public apology.
However, since the UN recommendations were made five years ago, a working group has been created but made little progress.
Jasna Zecevic, the president of Vive Zene, a Bosnian NGO that provides comprehensive support for rape victims, says that survivors are still struggling to receive compensation for their suffering.
Those efforts are hampered by Bosnia's complicated administrative system, with separate applicable laws for each of the country's three entities: the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, and the Brcko District.
Those differences in legislation have led to uneven access to rights, according to Trial International, as well as varying compensation awards. Depending on where they live, survivors of sexual violence in Bosnia can receive monthly compensation as low as the equivalent of $75 or as much as the equivalent of $373.
Progress on the issue is slow, according to Cvetkovski, not because of a lack of funds but more a lack of political will.
Kosovo: Delayed Justice Is Denied Justice
Since 2023, April 14 has been observed in Kosovo as the Day of Sexual Violence Victims who suffered during the 1998-99 Kosovo War, where Serbian forces terrorized the ethnic Albanian population.
While the number of sexual-violence survivors from the conflict remains unknown, a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts the figure as high as 20,000 people.
This day, Kosovar officials say, serves to "recognize the pain" of all survivors of sexual violence during the war and to contribute to collective memory.
Kosovo has taken some steps to help survivors. In 2018, Kosovo instituted a reparations system, paying victims of wartime sexual violence the equivalent of $245 a month. But advocates say this falls short of what those affected need.
"While survivors of sexual violence are eligible to receive this monthly payment as...recognition of their suffering during wartime as rape victims, it ruled out them receiving old-age pensions," said Feride Rushiti, executive director of the Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture Survivors (KRCT), a Kosovar NGO providing aid and support to survivors of sexual violence.
However, just recently, the Basic Court of Pristina, Kosovo's top judicial body, ruled in favor of three survivors of sexual violence, awarding them not only compensation but a pension as well, Rusiti says.
Fitorja (not her real name) had her status confirmed as a victim of a war crime, entitling her to a monthly payment of the equivalent of 230 euros.
She was already receiving a lower standard pension, but she gave that up after the government informed her that she was entitled to just one pension.
Since 2021, with the help of KRCT, she has been fighting to keep her pension and the monthly payment. "The stress and waiting destroy you. [The termination of one pension] should not have happened," the 71-year-old Fitorja said.
The court's ruling in her favor, along with two other survivors, was a partial victory. Another seven similar cases are now going through the judicial system.
Chechnya: Living In The Shadows
In 2000, Russian Army Colonel Yury Budanov, together with two of his subordinates, kidnapped and later strangled 18-year-old Elza Kungayeva, a resident of the Tangi-Chu village in Chechnya.
During his trial in 2003, the colonel, who was part of the Russian force fighting separatists in the republic, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of murder, kidnapping, and abuse of power. He was stripped of his rank and ordered to pay the family 330,000 rubles (about $11,000 at the 2003 exchange rate).
Budanov was released from prison on parole in 2009, yet Kungayeva's family got nothing from the ex-army colonel, who was assassinated in 2011, and they have also not received anything from the state.
In Chechnya, that is a familiar story. Following the conflicts of the 1990s and 2000s, thousands of people who suffered war crimes or who lost their homes and families are still waiting for compensation from the authorities.
The exact number of sexualized-violence survivors during both wars is unknown, largely due to a reluctance to report such crimes in Chechnya due to social stigma and the overall distrust of the authorities.
The Kungayeva's family lawyers insisted on including two reports from independent forensic experts that confirmed that Kungayeva was raped. The rape charges, however, were eventually excluded from the indictment.
Afghanistan: Silence And Stigma
Survivors of wartime sexual violence in Afghanistan, where women's rights have been dramatically curtailed by the ruling Taliban, are almost invisible.
To date, no aid or support has been provided to survivors. And since the Taliban seized power again in 2021, no institution exists to address the rights of war victims, says Shaharzad Akbar, the last chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. The commission was dissolved when the fundamentalist militia returned to power.
Now in exile, Akbar, who heads the human rights watchdog Rawadari, says that, even before the Taliban's rise to power, there was no effective system to deal with victims of wartime sexual violence. Some officials, she says, appeared to blame survivors for failing to come forward to demand justice.
"There was no official mechanism to address their issues. The only thing that the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission could do was document all cases of war crimes, which included sexual violence and rape during the war," Akbar said. "There was no political will or inclination to address the rights of war victims."
Over the last 30 years, Afghanistan has endured a series of devastating conflicts, with the civil war of the early 1990s, two periods of Taliban rule, and the prolonged conflict following the U.S. invasion in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks.
It was Afghan women that suffered the most, says Shinkai Karokhail, a former member of Afghanistan's now dissolved parliament and a former Afghan ambassador to Canada.
"Unfortunately, there was no mechanism in place to identify those women who were sexually assaulted during the war, to listen to their demands, and to give them the courage to come forward and speak about the sexual assault they experienced," Karokhail said.
"In Afghanistan, victims of sexual assault often hide their identities, while the perpetrators often boast about their actions," she said, adding that in the deeply conservative country, survivors fear the stigma of coming forward.
According to Karokhail, Afghanistan's democratic government, which was in power before the Taliban takeover in 2021, did little to help female survivors.
It was commonly known that women were kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and some even sold at markets in Pakistan, Karokhail says. But one of the reasons why the issue of sexualized violence was ignored was that the people committing these assaults were in power themselves, Karokhail says.
And while women are now reluctant to come forward, Karokhail is convinced a few brave voices could trigger more.
"If a woman comes forward and says she has been sexually assaulted, I am sure that survivors of previous wars will also come forward and share their stories," Karokhail said.
'Systematic Discrimination': Taliban's Drastic Cut In Salaries Of Female State Employees Triggers Anger
![An Afghan nurse cares for newborn children who lost their mothers during an attack at a hospital in Kabul. (file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/132d609e-b457-4556-8624-fc519193b12d_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Shugufta, an elementary school teacher, earned around $300 per month under the previous Western-backed Afghan government.
But after the Taliban seized power in 2021, the extremist group cut the salaries of female government employees by half.
Despite her lower income, Shugufta was relieved to work as the country grappled with an economic meltdown after the Taliban takeover.
The hard-line Islamist group has barred thousands of women employed by the previous government from returning to their jobs. Only women whose jobs cannot be done by men according to the militants' strict interpretation of Shari'a law -- including doctors, nurses, and teachers -- have been permitted to work.
But in a major blow, the Taliban-led government last week issued a decree that set the monthly salaries of all female government employees at 5,000 afghanis, or around $70, regardless of their job, qualifications, or experience.
For many women, that means a drop of up to 75 percent in their wages at a time when Afghanistan is grappling with mass unemployment and rising poverty.
"It is impossible to live on this income," Shugufta's mother, Saliha, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "Our financial problems have skyrocketed."
The decision has been condemned by Afghan and international rights activists, who said the move illustrated the Taliban's discrimination against women.
Female state employees, some of whom are sole breadwinners, said they will struggle to feed their families.
The Taliban's decision came ahead of Eid al-Adha on June 17, one of the biggest holidays of the Islamic calendar.
"The Taliban didn't listen to our pleas to pay us our full salaries this month," said Muzhda, a female government employee from the western city of Herat.
Muzhda told Radio Azadi that she did not know how she would be able to afford rent, food, and medicine for her family, who depend on her income.
Afghanistan has been gripped by the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Millions of Afghans are on the verge of starvation, according to the United Nations.
Nazifa Haqpal, a British-based Afghan researcher, said the Taliban's decision to halve the salaries of female public workers "constitutes systematic discrimination."
"Women who work in government institutions and important fields like medicine are earning less while their male colleagues are receiving a higher salary," she told Radio Azadi.
Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said the "discriminatory and profoundly arbitrary decision further deepens the erosion of human rights in Afghanistan."
In a June 13 statement, he called on the Taliban to "rescind all laws, instructions, edicts, and other measures that discriminate against women and girls."
During its nearly three years in power, the militant group has severely curtailed women and girls' appearances, freedom of movement, and right to work and study.
Saji Behgam, an Afghan women's rights activist, said the Taliban's decision will cripple women-led households, including widows.
"Where should these women go?" she told Radio Azadi. "Should they just commit suicide?"
Written by Abubakar Siddique based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi
- By RFE/RL
From Our Regions: Muslims Celebrate Eid Al-Adha
![The sun rises near Farkhor, Tajikistan, close to the Afghan border, where Tajik religious officials announced that morning prayers for Eid al-Adha would begin at 6 a.m. on June 16.<br />
<br />
Eid al-Adha, often called the Festival of Sacrifice, commemorates the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham in Judeo-Christian traditions) to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) as an act of obedience to God.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-9128-08dc8dd41838_w250_r1_s.jpg)
The sun rises near Farkhor, Tajikistan, close to the Afghan border, where Tajik religious officials announced that morning prayers for Eid al-Adha would begin at 6 a.m. on June 16.
Eid al-Adha, often called the Festival of Sacrifice, commemorates the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham in Judeo-Christian traditions) to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) as an act of obedience to God.
Millions of Muslims are celebrating Eid al-Adha, one of the biggest holidays of the Islamic calendar, which coincides with the final rites of the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. RFE/RL showcases the celebrations across its regions.
- By AFP
Afghan Taliban Delegation To Attend Next Round Of UN Talks In Qatar
![Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/c3750000-0aff-0242-9f3e-08d9f144ba64_cx0_cy2_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Taliban authorities will attend the third round of United Nations-hosted talks on Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar, a government spokesman said on June 16. The Taliban-led government's participation in the conference of foreign special envoys to Afghanistan had been in doubt after it was not included in the first round and then refused an invitation to the second round. Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP a delegation from Afghanistan will participate in the Doha conference scheduled for June 30 and July 1. Mujahid told Afghan media that a delegation would attend because the talks' agenda appeared "beneficial to Afghanistan." The agenda includes "topics such as aid for Afghanistan and creating opportunities for investors in Afghanistan."
The Azadi Briefing: Thousands Of Afghans Deported From Pakistan And Iran Each Week
![Afghan refugees at a registration center after arriving from Pakistan in the Takhta Pul district of Kandahar Province on May 22](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-f3d6-08dc7a5f17d0_cx0_cy5_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.
I'm Abubakar Siddique, senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
The Key Issue
Pakistan and Iran are continuing to deport thousands of Afghan refugees and migrants each week, despite warnings from rights groups and aid organizations.
The Taliban government said over 400,000 Afghans have been expelled from the two neighboring countries since the start of the year.
Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, a Taliban official, said around 75 percent of the returnees were expelled from Pakistan.
Over 1 million Afghans have been deported from Pakistan and Iran during the past year.
Why It's Important: Rights groups and aid organizations have warned that the mass deportation drives will worsen the already devastating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the world’s largest.
The Taliban government, which remains unrecognized and sanctioned by the international community, appears unable to absorb the returning refugees or address the humanitarian needs of Afghans.
Aid agencies operating in Afghanistan have called for more international funding to address the needs of the returnees, who lack shelter, warm clothes, and food. Many of the returnees are homeless.
"There is no work and food is expensive," Kamran, an Afghan who was recently deported from Pakistan, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. He said he is living in a tent because he cannot afford to rent a house.
"After returning from Iran, I have been living in Kabul for about two to three months,” said Fazaluddin, an Afghan who was recently expelled from Iran. “Life is very difficult here. There were many problems in Iran, but at least I could get a bite to eat."
What's Next: Pakistan and Iran, both of which are not signatories to UN conventions on refugees, appear likely to continue their deportation drives.
In March, Pakistan announced efforts to expand and expedite its plans to deport Afghans from April 15.
Iran, meanwhile, has repeatedly vowed to expel all undocumented Afghans from the country.
What To Keep An Eye On
Child labor is rising under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, where a humanitarian and economic crisis as well as the Taliban restrictions on female employment have led to more children working.
Around 19 percent of children in Afghanistan are working, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on June 12.
Among them is 11-year-old Ahmad, whose mother lost her job as a state employee after the Taliban takeover.
"I’m the only breadwinner after my father died," Ahmad, who works for up to eight hours each day after attending school, told Radio Azadi.
"If parents have jobs, they will never push their children into child labor," said Najibullah Zadran Babrakzai, an Afghan child rights activist.
Why It's Important: The Taliban’s severe restrictions on women, as well as mass unemployment and rising poverty, have forced children as well as the elderly to work to feed their families.
The need to work is likely to deprive thousands of Afghan children from education as many families try to stave off starvation.
That's all from me for now.
Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org
Until next time,
Abubakar Siddique
If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.
- By Firuza Azizi
Taliban's Education Ban On Afghan Girls Fuels Spike In Child Marriages
![Afghan girls attend their classes at a primary school in Bati Kot, a rural district in the eastern province of Nangarhar.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-700b-08dbba77a9d2_cx0_cy3_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Amina was in the seventh grade when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Shortly after their takeover, the militants banned teenage girls from attending school, dashing the 14-year-old’s dreams of completing her education.
Months later, Amina’s family in the central province of Maidan Wardak forced her to marry a local 37-year-old man.
Amina, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, said she was “traumatized and sick” when she was told of her family’s plans.
“My family faced economic ruin after the Taliban takeover,” Amina, now 16, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.
Amina’s husband paid a "walwar" -- a premarital fee given to the bride-to-be's parents -- that amounted to around $12,000. Walwar payments are common in Afghanistan and provide an incentive for parents to marry off their daughters at a young age.
Amina is among the thousands of underage girls who have been forced into marriage since the fall of the Western-backed Afghan government in August 2021.
Activists say the Taliban’s education ban has contributed to the surge in early and child marriages. A devastating humanitarian crisis and the lack of educational and professional prospects for women have fueled the sharp uptick, they say.
'I Had No Choice'
Mursal was 15 years old when her family forced her into an engagement with an older man.
"I had no choice because my family told me that in the absence of education, my only option was to get married," said Mursal, now 17.
Mursal, whose name has also been changed to protect her identity, said her dream was to become a doctor.
For some families, marrying their girls off provides some sense of security: fewer mouths to feed at a time when the country is dealing with a humanitarian crisis and economic ruin.
Some parents have also married off their adolescent daughters to avoid forced marriages to Taliban fighters.
But activists say the Taliban’s September 2021 decision to ban millions of girls above the sixth grade from attending school has also helped fuel the spike in child marriages.
June 13 marks 1,000 days since the Taliban announced its ban, a move that triggered international condemnation and protests inside Afghanistan.
During its nearly three years in power, the militant group has severely curtailed women and girls’ appearances, freedom of movement, and right to work and study.
'Very Dangerous'
Child marriages have increased by around 25 percent since the Taliban takeover, according to UN Women, the United Nations agency for gender equality and the empowerment of women.
“This is terrible and very dangerous for the future of Afghanistan,” Shaharzad Akbar, an Afghan rights campaigner who headed the former Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, told Radio Azadi.
Akbar, who now runs the independent advocacy organization Rawadari, said their research has established the potentially devastating impacts of the Taliban’s education ban on teenage girls.
“In the future, we won’t have female university students," she said. "And there will be no female health-care workers or other [educated female] workers.”
Written by Abubakar Siddique based on reporting by Firuza Azizi of RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
Taliban Clamps Down On Activities Of Rival Islamist Parties
![Students walk on the campus of Khatam-al Nabyeen University in Kabul, which the Taliban has announced it is shutting down. (file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/C78C31C1-51F0-4C93-BEF6-BE867001D03B_cx0_cy16_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
The Taliban government has cracked down on rival Islamist parties in Afghanistan in what is seen as an effort to prevent any future opposition to its hard-line rule.
Since banning all political parties last year, the Taliban has targeted two of its major former rivals. It shut down two Kabul-based TV stations owned by the Hezb-e Islami and Jamiat-e Islami parties, respectively.
Now, the extremist group has cracked down on Harakat-e Islami Afghanistan, closing a TV station as well as a university and seminary accused of having links with the Shi’ite political party.
The Taliban’s clampdown on political parties is part of a wider assault on dissent. After seizing power in 2021, the militants have jailed dozens of journalists, activists, and academics.
'Relentless Crackdown'
The Taliban’s Justice Ministry on June 8 ordered the closure of Tamadon TV due to its alleged affiliation with Harakat-e Islami Afghanistan. The ministry also alleged that the station was operating on “seized land.”
Tamadon TV, which covered news and current affairs as well as Shi’ite religious programming, has denied the claims.
The station was founded in 2006 by Ayatollah Asif Mohseni, a prominent Shi’ite cleric and leader of Harakat-e Islami Afghanistan who died in 2019.
Mohammad Jawad Mohseni, the director of Tamadon TV, rejected the Taliban’s claims about the broadcaster’s political affiliations. He said Mohseni had resigned as the leader of Harakat-e Islami in 2005, a year before establishing the station.
Global and Afghan media watchdogs have condemned the closure of Tamadon TV.
“The Taliban is expanding its relentless crackdown on Afghan media and suppressing any independent voices,” said a statement by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, which called on the group to “immediately and unconditionally reverse its decision.”
In April, the Taliban shut down Noor TV and Barya TV for "violating Afghan and Islamic values and journalistic principles.”
Jamiat-e Islami owned Noor TV, while Hezb-e Islami ran Barya. The stations ran Islamic programs.
Harakat-e Islami Afghanistan, Jamiat-e Islami, and Hezb-e Islami were all factions of the mujahedin, the Islamist groups that battled the Taliban for control of Afghanistan in the 1990s. Prominent mujahedin figures received prominent roles in the new political order that emerged after the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 toppled the Taliban’s first regime.
'Narrow-Minded Policies'
On the same day that it ordered the closure of Tamadon TV, the Taliban also announced that it was shutting down Khatam-al Nabyeen University and its madrasah, or Islamic seminary. The same allegations were made against the educational institutions.
“Political parties are abolished in the country,” Barakat Rasuli, a spokesman for the Taliban’s Justice Ministry, wrote on X. “Their media outlets do not have the right to operate.”
“The buildings [of all three] are built on usurped land,” Rasuli added. “This why we have stopped their activities and shut down their offices.”
The TV station, university, and seminary are all part of a sprawling complex in west Kabul, where members of the Shi’ite minority reside. Like Tamadon TV, the university and madrasah were established by Mohseni in 2006.
Mohseni was believed to have ties with neighboring Iran, where he lived for years during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Tehran allegedly helped fund the Khatam-al Nabyeen University and seminary as part of its efforts to build influence in the country.
Afghanistan’s Shi'ite community have been increasingly marginalized under the rule of the Taliban, a Sunni militant group.
The Taliban has prevented members of the Shi'ite community, which makes up around 15 percent of the population, from publicly marking important religious festivals and restricted the teaching of Shi'ite jurisprudence in universities in Afghanistan.
Sami Yousafzai, a veteran Afghan journalist and commentator, said the militant group’s closure of Tamadon TV as well as Khatam-al Nabyeen University and seminary "shows the Taliban's religious bias and its narrow-minded policies."
"They are against anyone who doesn’t follow their ideology, [including] followers of Islamist groups such as Hezb-e Islami, Jamiat-e Islami, or Harakat-e Islami Afghanistan," Yousafzai added.
- By Frud Bezhan and
- Shapoor Saber
Taliban's Name-Changing Campaign In Afghanistan An 'Ultimate Act Of Victory'
![A man walks past a wall mural depicting the Taliban flag in Kabul.](https://gdb.rferl.org/9bd9f6bd-90be-42f0-a36b-f62f7920a71d_cx0_cy10_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
One of the Taliban's first acts after seizing power in 2021 was to rename the country the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Since then, the militant Islamist group has changed the names of scores of prominent streets, squares, universities, and even a city.
The Taliban has replaced some local Dari and Pashto names with Arabic ones that most Afghans do not speak. Landmarks honoring Afghan political figures, meanwhile, have been renamed to pay tribute to historical Islamic figures with no links to the country.
The Taliban's name-changing campaign has triggered online criticism, with some Afghans accusing the hard-line Islamist group of trying to eliminate indigenous cultural identities.
During the last four decades of war, ruling political groups have often renamed landmarks and other prominent sites, including the communist regime in the 1980s, the mujahedin in the 1990s, and the Western-backed government that came to power after the U.S.-led invasion toppled the first Taliban regime in 2001.
Changing the names of public sites has long proved highly contentious, a byproduct of conflict among rival and even warring ethnic, religious, and political groups.
Hameed Hakimi, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council think tank, said the Taliban was "renaming places and institutions to project their victory narrative to their loyalists, and to simultaneously remove remnants of their foes."
"Renaming a geography and institutions may be perceived as an ultimate act of victory by the Taliban, he added.
Removing Tributes To Former Foes
When the Taliban seized control of Kabul in August 2021, it swiftly renamed streets, squares, and universities in the Afghan capital that honored its former enemies -- the toppled Afghan government and the former mujahedin, the Islamist groups that battled the Taliban in the 1990s. Many mujahedin figures received prominent roles in the new political order that emerged after 2001.
One of the Taliban's first targets was Kabul's main airport road -- the "Great Masud Road" -- which honored Ahmad Shah Masud, a prominent mujahedin commander and Taliban foe who was killed in 2001.
Kabul's airport -- Hamid Karzai International Airport -- which honored former President Hamid Karzai, was also quickly renamed as Kabul International Airport.
The militants also changed the name of a Kabul square -- "Martyr Mazari Square" -- honoring Abdul Ali Mazari, a mujahedin commander who was killed by the Taliban in 1995.
The Taliban also renamed a public university in Kabul honoring former President Burhanuddin Rabbani, a mujahedin leader who was assassinated by the Taliban in 2011.
Kabul's so-called Bush Bazaar, once a thriving market for U.S. military gear and foodstuffs, was renamed "Mujahedin Bazaar." Taliban militants often refer to themselves as mujahedin, which means freedom fighters.
In the past two years, the Taliban has extended its name-changing campaign to cities across Afghanistan.
The extremist group changed the names of the airports in the central provinces of Bamiyan, Daikundi, and Ghor -- which honored two former mujahedin leaders and an Afghan army general, respectively.
Meanwhile, two main roads in the western city of Herat that honored Masud and the son of Ismail Khan, a former mujahedin leader, respectively, were also renamed.
'Highly Political'
In many cases, the Taliban has restored the original names of streets, squares, and other public sites. In other cases, the militants have renamed places to honor Islamic scholars and jurists from the Arab world as well as the Koran, Islam's holy book. In some instances, streets and squares have been renamed after slain Taliban leaders and fighters.
In one of its most controversial moves, the Taliban renamed the city of Charikar, the provincial capital of the northern province of Parwan, to Imam Azam.
The new Arabic name refers to Imam Abu Hanifa, an eighth-century jurist who founded the Hanafi school of Islam, a denomination followed by many Sunni Muslims in Afghanistan.
Changing the name of Charikar, an ancient city with Buddhist roots, triggered widespread outrage.
The Taliban also changed the names of units in the Afghan military, replacing Persian and Pashto names with Arabic ones.
Meanwhile, a square in the western city of Herat long known as Education Square was recently renamed "Iqra," which means read in Arabic and appears in the Koran.
Locals have criticized the move.
Sayed Ashraf Sadat, an exiled activist from Herat, said the Taliban's name changes were "worrying" and "highly political."
Naqib Arwin, a former official in Herat, said the Taliban's decisions "have been done by force and without the consent and consultation of the people."
Haroun Rahimi, an Afghan academic who researches Islamic law, said the Taliban’s decision to replace Dari and Pashto words with Arabic ones was not surprising.
"They often name things after figures or events that have prominence in Islamic history," he said. "It is interesting that they are not naming things after their figures and leaders as much as the [previous government] did. Instead, they reach back to Islamic history."
Rahimi says that decision speaks to the Taliban’s complicated relationship with Afghan nationalism.
While the Taliban has its roots in a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam, its ideology and practices are also grounded in Pashtun tribal codes. The group is predominately made up of Pashtuns, the largest ethnic group in the country. Pashtuns have ruled Afghanistan for much of the country's more-than-270-year existence.
Hakimi said the Taliban’s name-changing spree will "certainly result in the weakening of any collective sense of nationalism that Afghans have, especially over the past century."
"The Taliban crackdown in this regard extends deeply into Pashtun areas of the country too, effectively challenging Pashtuns' sense of nationalism," he added.
The Azadi Briefing: Blacklisted Taliban Minister's Foreign Visit Triggers Outrage
![U.A.E. President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received a delegation led by the Taliban's Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani on June 3.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-9c5f-08dc84c53a35_cx0_cy6_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.
I'm Abubakar Siddique, senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
The Key Issue
Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, a U.S.-designated terrorist who has a $10 million bounty on his head, visited the United Arab Emirates on June 4.
Haqqani, accompanied by the Taliban's intelligence chief, met the U.A.E. president in Abu Dhabi.
The foreign visit, Haqqani's first since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, sparked widespread outrage among Afghans.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that "hosting UN-sanctioned Taliban members must seek permission for travel through an exemption process as outlined by the UN 1988 sanctions committee, and it's important that member states follow these procedures."
"We understand the complex relationship countries have with the Taliban, particularly those in the region," said a State Department statement later sent to the Associated Press.
It is unclear whether Haqqani or the U.A.E. government had obtained such permission. But on June 5, the UN Security Council allowed Haqqani and several other Taliban officials to travel to Saudi Arabia later this month to perform the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage.
Why It's Important: Haqqani's trip is a public relations win for the Taliban, whose government is not recognized by any country.
Despite its lack of international recognition and limited engagement with the West, the Taliban has established diplomatic ties with around a dozen countries in the region.
Ishaq Atmar, an Afghan political analyst, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that Haqqani's trip can "open a new door" for greater international engagement with the Taliban.
Ghous Janbaz, an Afghan political analyst, told Radio Azadi that Haqqani's trip came weeks before a key UN meeting on Afghanistan in Qatar during which the group will look to allay international fears over the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan.
But Haqqani's trip has triggered online condemnation, with some Afghans asking how one of the FBI's most-wanted men was able to visit the U.A.E., a U.S. ally.
What's Next: International engagement with the Taliban has not moderated its extremist policies.
The militant group has refused to budge on key issues, including establishing an inclusive government, ensuring women's rights, and breaking ties with extremist groups.
The Taliban is likely to use its engagement with the international community to win concessions and present itself as the legitimate ruler of Afghanistan.
What To Keep An Eye On
A new survey by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has identified "widespread shocks" in Afghanistan, where many live in severe food poverty.
"Much higher food prices and drought are affecting 60 and 58 percent of Afghan households, respectively," the organization said in a briefing on June 3.
The survey found that despite the decrease in the prices of some food items, poor "households remained vulnerable to intrahousehold and economic shocks," which reflected "broader macroeconomic vulnerabilities in Afghanistan."
More than two-thirds of households reported a decrease in their primary source of income, the survey said, while another 10 percent lived on savings and debt.
Why It's Important: The survey highlights the effects of the devastating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the world's largest.
Shortfalls in international funding, the Taliban's inability to address the crisis, and a series of deadly natural disasters have exacerbated the humanitarian situation.
That's all from me for now.
Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org
Until next time,
Abubakar Siddique
If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.
Taliban Publicly Flogs Dozens Of People In Northern Afghanistan
![An Afghan judge hits a woman with a whip in front of a crowd in Ghor Province in 2015. (illustrative photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/2F28A9B2-681D-4FE3-B679-4212A4E212C4_cx0_cy8_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
The Taliban has publicly flogged dozens of people in a sports stadium in northern Afghanistan after their convictions for crimes involving "immoral relations."
In a statement, the Taliban’s Supreme Court said 63 people, including 15 women, were flogged in Sar-e Pol Province in the presence of local officials on June 4.
The court said those flogged were accused of theft and so-called moral crimes, including adultery, homosexuality, and eloping.
Public punishments are on the rise in Afghanistan, where the Taliban’s spiritual leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, ordered the return of Islamic sentences in November 2022.
That included "qisas" and "hudood" punishments, which allow "eye-for-an-eye" retribution and corporal punishments for offenses considered to be in violation of the boundaries set by God.
Since then, hundreds across Afghanistan have been publicly flogged or had body parts amputated for crimes such as theft and adultery. The extremist group has also publicly executed at least five people convicted of murder.
The executions and punishments have underscored the Taliban’s commitment to imposing its extremist interpretation of Shari'a law.
The punishments have provoked strong criticism from human rights watchdogs and Afghans.
"Because of the bad deed of one person, the reputation of an entire family or community is destroyed," a resident of the southwestern province of Nimroz told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "Punishments shouldn’t be carried out in public."
Shaharzad Akbar, an Afghan rights campaigner who headed the former Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, said the aim of the Taliban’s "theatrical acts" is to incite fear.
"The Taliban's form of governance is contrary to human rights," she told Radio Azadi. "The human rights and human dignity of men and women are not important to them."
Meanwhile, Islamic scholars have said the Taliban has failed to meet the stringent conditions required by Islamic law in implementing such harsh punishments.
Salahuddin Saeedi, an Afghan religious scholar, told Radio Azadi that the Taliban also lacks the legitimacy to carry out Islamic punishments.
The Taliban’s hard-line government is not recognized by any country in the world, while its extremist policies are opposed by many Afghans.
Under the Taliban’s first regime in the 1990s, public executions and punishments were common. The group gained international notoriety for using sports stadiums to carry them out.
With Pensions Scrapped, Afghan Retirees Forced To Work As Street Vendors
![An Afghan street vendor arranges tomatoes for sale in Kabul.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0a00-0242-796a-08dbade92dcc_cx8_cy20_cw82_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Atel hauls a wooden cart every day around the Afghan capital, Kabul, selling vegetables.
The 70-year-old pensioner retired around five years ago. But since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban has stopped paying pensions.
That has forced thousands of pensioners like Atel back to work, often as street vendors, to feed their families amid a devastating economic and humanitarian crisis in the country.
"It's been nearly three years since we last received our pensions," Atel told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "I don't have the strength to do manual labor. But I buy onions and potatoes at the market each day and resell them."
The work is grueling, and he only earns around $1 per day. But Atel, who has a family of eight, said he has no choice but to work.
Mohammad Nasim is another pensioner who has been forced to find a job. He sells notebooks and pens on the street, earning around $1 per day.
"I don't have the means to do other work," Nasim, who has a disability, told Radio Azadi. "On the other hand, I'm in pain and I don't even have money to pay for my prescriptions."
'Un-Islamic'
An estimated 150,000 pensioners received a monthly payment of around $100 from the state before the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, where the retirement age is 65.
But retirees have not been paid their pensions since then, pushing some families toward starvation. Many of the pensioners served governments that had fought against the Taliban.
In April, the Taliban's spiritual leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, ordered his government to stop deducting retirement contributions from the salaries of civil servants, effectively dismantling the pension system. Akhundzada suggested the system was "un-Islamic."
The move triggered protests by retirees who said they cannot survive without state assistance.
Scores of retired civil servants and retired members of the armed forces staged a rally in Kabul on April 20. The protest was dispersed by the Taliban.
'Poorest People'
Mass unemployment and rising poverty as well as the lack of government assistance have forced the elderly and even children to find what work they can. The Taliban's severe restrictions on female employment has also deprived families of breadwinners.
Not all pensioners are able to work due to illness or their advanced age. And those who can find it difficult to secure even menial jobs.
"We have gray beards, our hands and feet tremble, and no one gives us work," a pensioner, who attended the April protest and spoke on condition of anonymity, told Radio Azadi.
Aafandi Sangar, head of the Afghan Pensioners Association, said the "poorest people in Afghanistan are pensioners who can no longer work."
"Some of them are doing hard work but some are sick [and unable to work]," he told Radio Azadi.
Sangar said pensioners will continue to protest and demand their rights from the Taliban government.
"This money is the personal money of the pensioners," he said. "It's not government money. Pensions are the inalienable right of every retiree."
Written by Frud Bezhan based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.
Iranian Newspaper Accuses Taliban Consulate Staff Of 'Torturing' Photographer
![Entrance to the Afghan Consulate in Mashhad (file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-194f-08dc82e194bb_cx0_cy13_cw0_w250_r1_s.png)
A centrist Iranian newspaper has accused a Taliban representative in Iran of “torturing” a photographer, ultimately leading to his expulsion from the country.
The Jomhuri-ye Eslami newspaper claimed on June 1 that a Taliban representative in the Afghan Consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad had “dragged” the unnamed Iranian photographer into the consulate and “tortured” him.
The paper said the photographer later filed a complaint against the “diplomat,” identified as “Dr. Salim,” which ultimately resulted in him being expelled from Iran and replaced by another Taliban representative.
The newspaper has been a staunch critic of the Taliban since the group seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 and has questioned Tehran’s willingness to maintain relations with the group.
In its report, Jomhuri-ye Eslami alleged that “Dr. Salim” was one of three “diplomats” who had moved into the consulate prior to receiving Iran’s approval. It described the move as a “sign of disrespect toward Iran.”
In the same piece, the newspaper claimed that the same trio had “kidnapped” Qari Eisa Mohammadi, a prominent Afghan opposition figure based in Germany who had traveled to Mashhad several months ago.
According to Mohammadi, he was held “prisoner” in the consulate for several days until Iranian authorities secured his release.
The authorities in Iran have been criticized for maintaining relations with the Taliban after it took control in Afghanistan. The Islamic republic has kept its embassy in Kabul open and handed over the Afghan Embassy in Tehran to the Taliban.
Nevertheless, Iran has not formally recognized the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan and has called for the formation of an inclusive government.
Since the extremist group seized power in Kabul, Iran and the Taliban have had disputes over water rights and engaged in sporadic border clashes.
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