News
- ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over persecution of womenThe International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for senior Taliban leaders Tuesday for their alleged role in the persecution of women and girls in Afghanistan. The warrant accused Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani of implementing extensive legal restrictions on women and girls that… Read more »
- UNHCR: Over 1.4M return to Afghanistan amid worsening humanitarian crisisThe United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned on Friday that humanitarian needs in Afghanistan are escalating rapidly as over 1.4 million people, mostly returnees from Iran and Pakistan, have entered the country in 2025 alone. According to UNHCR’s Afghanistan representative Arafat Jamal, the scale and speed of these… Read more »
- Russia becomes the first country to recognize Taliban government in AfghanistanRussia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan on Thursday, according to local media, with the Taliban flag being raised at the Afghan embassy in Moscow. Earlier this year, Russia removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations, citing “the need for cooperation in… Read more »
- Uzbekistan dispatch: is this country what Afghanistan might have been, or still could be?I recently returned to the US from Uzbekistan. This was my second visit to that Central Asian country, and I must say that as an Afghan, it was a bittersweet experience. Uzbekistan is a beautiful, peaceful place with a rich history and a modern, vibrant identity. As a Muslim-majority nation, … Read more »
- UN expert report: Taliban dismantle Afghanistan justice systemAfghanistan is gripped by a “deep human rights crisis” as the Taliban systematically dismantles legal and institutional frameworks, abolishing crucial protections for women and girls, a UN expert warned today. Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, presented his new report to the 59th session of… Read more »
- UNHCR reports funding gap amidst continuous rise in forced displacementThe Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported on Thursday that forced displacement has doubled globally in the last decade, with a lack of funding to accommodate the increased number of displaced people dependent on UNHCR for support. The UNHCR said the increase was “largely driven by… Read more »
- Taliban official promises amnesty for returning Afghans amid US travel banTaliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund announced on Saturday that Afghans abroad, including those who fled after the US withdrew its armed forces in 2021, will receive amnesty if they return to Afghanistan. Akhund stated: “Afghans who have left the country should return to their homeland… Nobody will harm them.”… Read more »
- Trump proclamation blocks nationals from 12 countries from entering USUS President Donald Trump issued a proclamation Wednesday implementing a nearly full travel ban on nationals from a dozen countries, severely restricting potential entry into the United States. The proclamation is based on an executive order issued on Trump’s first day in office that laid the foundation for the administration… Read more »
- UN agencies warn of worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan amid mass returnsSeveral UN aid agencies warned that Afghanistan’s escalating humanitarian crisis is being compounded by the mass return of its nationals from neighbouring countries, including Pakistan and Iran. The agencies also warned that the situation is further complicated by the struggling economy as well as restrictions on women’s rights. The UN… Read more »
- Russia court removes Taliban regime from terrorist listThe Russian Supreme Court officially lifted the designation of the Taliban as a terrorist organization on Thursday, marking a significant shift in Moscow’s diplomatic stance toward Afghanistan’s de facto rulers. The move was confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which stated that the decision aims to facilitate the establishment… Read more »
Commentary
- ‘We Saw Women Die at Home’: Taliban’s Midwife Ban Threatens Rural Afghan Healthcare“I never wanted to study midwifery,” a 20-year-old woman from Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar told me. “But after the university ban, I couldn’t continue to study computer science – the major which was my dream and what I had worked so hard for.” December 20 marked the second anniversary… Read more »
- The Paradox of Unenforced Taliban SanctionsAs the global community marked International Human Rights Day earlier this month, millions of Afghan women and girls remained trapped in their homes, cast out of their schools, work and public life by repressive Taliban policy. Last year, in response to these then-already-ongoing human rights violations, the US government announced… Read more »
- ICC arrest warrants offer glimmer of hope, but justice remains elusive for Afghanistan’s many war victimsOn Monday at the opening of the twenty-third session of the Assembly of State Parties in The Hague, Prosecutor Khan announced that the Court would seek to issue arrest warrants for figures responsible for crimes against humanity in Afghanistan saying: “In relation to Afghanistan […] we will be announcing applications… Read more »
- Beyond the Taliban’s Shadow: Forging a Path to Justice in AfghanistanMore than three years since the military takeover by Taliban in 2021, Afghanistan remains engulfed in a severe human rights crisis. Extrajudicial killings, public executions, flogging in stadiums, and other forms of corporal punishment, arbitrary detentions, torture and disappearances of former government officials, members of the national security forces, judges,… Read more »
- Afghan Women Find Glimmer of Hope in International Efforts to Bring Taliban to Justice for Gender ApartheidRecent headlines brought a glimmer of hope to the women and girls whose lives under the Taliban have essentially been reduced to prison terms: Canada, Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands announced plans to bring the Taliban to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for gender discrimination. As an Afghan woman,… Read more »
- How One Afghan Woman Is Defying the Taliban With EntrepreneurshipAs the Taliban continues its ever-expanding efforts to keep women and girls out of the public eye, one Afghan woman is leveraging her business acumen to challenge the new status quo. In late August, the Taliban issued a new law restricting women’s voices and faces in public spaces, the latest… Read more »
- Beyond Condemnation: Forging a Path to Justice for Afghanistan’s WomenIn June, Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, called for an “all tools” approach to challenge and dismantle the Taliban’s institutionalized system of gender oppression and hold those responsible accountable in his report to the Human Rights Council. Despite international efforts and pressure… Read more »
- Reimagining Women’s Rights in Afghanistan: Federalism as a Pathway to Gender EqualityUnder Taliban rule, Afghanistan is experiencing severe human rights abuses, notably against women and ethnic minorities, amid socio-political and humanitarian crises. In this piece, the authors analyze the severe human rights challenges in Afghanistan, particularly focusing on the plight of women under the Taliban and historical patterns of gender inequality.… Read more »
- Hypocrisy of The Taliban: Three Years of Ban on Girls’ EducationThe author, a visiting scholar at Cornell University School of Law, explores the impact on three years of since the Taliban banned education for girls in Afghanistan. It has been three years that the Taliban imposed a ban on secondary and university education for girls in Afghanistan. The initial ban… Read more »
- Severing Ties: The Taliban’s Diplomatic Withdrawal and Its Implications for AfghanistanOn Tuesday, the Taliban-run Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan (MFA) announced a decision to sever ties with its diplomatic missions in several European countries and Australia. This unprecedented move marks a pivotal moment in Afghanistan’s contemporary diplomatic history and presents significant implications for the nation’s position within the global… Read more »
