Azadi Briefing

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent with 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

The Taliban has carried out another execution as it continues to implement strict Islamic punishments the group sees as central to its drive to enforce Shari'a law.

Under the concept of qisas, or retributive justice, a man was publicly killed in the eastern province of Laghman on June 20 for allegedly killing five members of a single family.

The killing of the man -- identified only as Ajmal, a resident of Guldara, near Kabul -- was the second retributive execution carried out by the Taliban in the past seven months. The group has sought to recreate its infamously brutal emirate of the 1990s, when such punishments turned its government into an international pariah.

In November, Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada ordered the return to qisas and hudood punishments, which essentially 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 the country have been publicly flogged, stoned, or had body parts amputated for crimes such as theft and adultery.

These punishments, however, have met strong criticism and skepticism from both human rights watchdogs and Afghans. Islamic scholars have questioned whether the Taliban has met the stringent conditions required by Islamic law in implementing such harsh punishments.

Why It's Important: The Taliban has defied international criticism in implementing capital and corporal punishments, which its leaders see as a key benchmark of their commitment to impose Islamic Shari'a law.

But in the absence of an overall governance framework capable of addressing the economic, social, and political challenges and grievances of Afghans, such punishments alienate the Taliban from the people it rules and the international community alike.

The Taliban's failure to establish a professional judiciary makes selling the implementation of qisas and hudood punishments as a symbol of justice difficult. The Taliban's courts are comprised of Taliban members or pro-Taliban clerics, most of whom are not formally trained for the roles.

Meanwhile, international human rights watchdogs, the United Nations, and the wider international community have opposed the use of capital and corporal punishments by the Taliban. Some campaigners advocate for international sanctions to remain in place as long as the Taliban metes out these punishments.

What's Next: The Taliban is unlikely to give up on Islamic punishments. But the rapid rise of executions, stonings, amputations, and other penalties will continue to overshadow the group's second stint in power.

For Afghans, these punishments underscore the Taliban's excesses and oppression. At the same time, the world will see them as symbols of the group's cruelty and misrule.

Given that the Taliban is unlikely to reform, some Afghans are bracing for mounting instances of capital and corporal punishments as the group fails to address the continuing economic and humanitarian crises in Afghanistan.

The Week's Best Stories

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers are trying to control thousands of rural classrooms. These are part of the Community Based Education program funded by Western donors through the UN and international NGOs. The Taliban's efforts have left the future of more than 500,000 Afghan children enrolled in these education centers hanging in the balance.

What To Keep An Eye On

In a briefing to the UN Security Council, the UN envoy to Afghanistan warned that the Taliban's restrictions on Afghan women and girls have made it "nearly impossible" for the international community to recognize the ruling group's government.

On June 21, Roza Otunbaeva, the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), told the UNSC that the restrictions against Afghan women "cost the Taliban both domestic and international legitimacy."

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has banned women from education and employment, effectively denied them any public role in society, and imposed strict limitations on their mobility and appearance.

Why It's Important: The damming assessment will dampen the Taliban's hopes that its isolated hard-line government will soon be recognized. The group has gradually extended its control over Afghan diplomatic missions in neighboring countries as it continues to press for recognition.

Yet no country or international organization has recognized the Taliban government.

Otunbaeva's statement lays out that the Taliban's only path to international recognition starts with rescinding its harsh restrictions on Afghan women.

While the Taliban had promised more moderate policies in the years leading up to its return to power, its leaders have doubled down on the recreation of a totalitarian clerical regime since seizing power.

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.

Welcome back to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Mustafa Sarwar, a senior news editor 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

The Pakistani authorities have arrested hundreds of Afghans in the capital, Islamabad, and the nearby city of Rawalpindi in recent weeks for allegedly living in the country illegally.

But Afghan migrants who spoke to Radio Azadi said many of the Afghans targeted had valid documents and were unlawfully arrested.

"I've been arrested by the police, and even though I have UNHCR documents, they won't accept them," Arzoo Ahmadi, an Afghan migrant who was briefly detained in Pakistan, told Radio Azadi.

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan said around 250 Afghans have been arrested in recent weeks. It is unclear how many have been freed or deported.

The Taliban also called on Islamabad to "cease the arrest of Afghan refugees," warning that the detentions could "adversely impact bilateral relations."

Why It's Important: The arrests appear to be part of a broader crackdown on the millions of Afghan refugees and migrants residing in Pakistan.

Late last year, Pakistani law enforcement arrested around 1,500 Afghan refugees and migrants, including women and children, in the southeastern province of Sindh. Some were later freed, while others were deported.

The authorities said the Afghan nationals in Sindh were charged with violating the Foreigners Act, a Pakistani law amended in 2016 that empowers authorities to deport foreigners lacking proper documentation. Courts can also fine or imprison foreigners for violating the law.

Islamabad warned foreigners that they would be deported or imprisoned for up to three years if they failed to renew their visas by the end of 2022.

Over 600,000 Afghans have fled to Pakistan since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, joining the several million Afghan refugees and migrants already residing in the country for decades.

Some of the new arrivals have remained in Pakistan because of delays in getting visas to Western nations. Most have said they cannot afford the hundreds of dollars needed to renew their Pakistani visas.

Moniza Kakar, a local attorney assisting Afghan refugees in Sindh, said the Pakistani police are stepping up their arrests of Afghans. "Even now, there are more than 200 Afghan prisoners in Sindh prisons," she recently told Radio Azadi.

What's Next: Despite repeated calls by the Taliban, Pakistan has continued to arrest Afghans in recent days. Islamabad has also been criticized by international NGOs for its treatment of Afghans fleeing Taliban persecution and a devastating humanitarian crisis.

Observers have said Pakistan is using the issue of Afghan refugees to put pressure on the Taliban. Islamabad has repeatedly called on the Taliban to expel the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an extremist group that is based in Afghanistan. The group has intensified its cross-border attacks on Pakistani security forces since the Afghan Taliban gained power.

The Week's Best Stories

Deadly attacks targeting Taliban officials in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan Province have left residents fearful of even stepping out to go to the mosque. The fresh attacks have raised questions about the Taliban's ability to impose its authority and the potential for Afghanistan's northeast to become a recruiting ground for the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) extremist group.

Zhwandoon TV is the latest independent media outlet to come under pressure in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has tried to stamp out any form of dissent. The owner of the private Pashto-language station recently accused the militant group of trying to close down the channel. The Taliban has intensified its crackdown on independent reporters and media outlets over the past year, according to Afghan media watchdogs.

What To Keep An Eye On

An Iranian official in the holy Shi'ite city of Qom has said members of Iran's sizeable community of Afghan refugees and migrants risk being deported if they fail to comply with the country’s hijab law.

Ali Akbar Zarei, an immigration official in Qom, told state TV on June 13 that Afghan nationals would first receive a warning. Repeat offenders, he said, would be cut off from "all social services” and could be forced to leave the country.

Why It's Important: The Iranian authorities have intensified their efforts to enforce the hijab law as more women flout the law.

Iranian women have been emboldened by the monthslong antiestablishment protests that erupted in September following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini soon after she was arrested by Iran’s morality police for improperly wearing the head scarf.

Afghans in Iran told Radio Azadi that scores of their compatriots were arrested for participating in the nationwide protests.

Afghan refugees and migrants have come under growing pressure in Iran after last month’s deadly border clashes between Iranian border guards and Taliban fighters.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,

Mustafa Sarwar

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.