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 When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
Gino d'Artali
and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'.Artali

Jinhagency - Womens News Agency - Feb 21, 2026 BAHARAN LAHIB
{Internet Shutdown… A Heavy Blow to Women in Afghanistan and Iran
Internet shutdowns in Afghanistan and Iran are not mere technical failures; they deprive women of online education, home-based businesses, and global communication, silencing their voices in society.
Kabul – For many citizens, the 72-hour internet shutdown in Afghanistan was not merely a technical problem; it was the closure of the last channels of communication with the outside world. This report reflects the perspective of an Afghan girl named Zoya Noor, who sees the internet blackout not as a simple disruption, but as a profound psychological, educational, and social blow. In a country where women are deprived of in-person education, work outside the home, and broad social participation, the internet has been their only outlet. Zoya Noor believes that when the internet is cut off, women are once again confined within the walls of their homes and lose even that virtual connection. She explains, “For many girls, online education was the last opportunity to continue learning. Language classes, science courses, university studies, and communication with professors were all possible through the internet. Cutting the internet means cutting off this path completely.” Zoya Noor compares the situation in Afghanistan with internet shutdowns in Iran, saying, “In Iran as well, during protests, the internet was widely cut off, and activists, journalists, and female students faced severe restrictions in communication. I believe women are the first victims of internet shutdowns in both countries, because they rely on the digital space more than men to express their opinions and share their experiences. When this space is closed, their voices are silenced too.” She points out that “in Afghanistan, many small female entrepreneurs earned money by selling handicrafts or offering educational services online. Internet shutdowns destroy this source of income and increase their economic dependence. In Iran, many women created home-based businesses through social media and suffered every time the internet was restricted. This economic damage directly affects women’s financial independence.” Zoya Noor sees the internet not merely as a tool for entertainment, but also as a means of awareness. In light of the limited official media, women are able to access news, analyses, and the experiences of women in other countries through the internet. She adds, “When the internet is cut off, the feeling of isolation doubles. For a girl who has been banned from attending university and has lost the chance to work outside, the internet is the only window of hope. Internet shutdowns in Afghanistan are often accompanied by an atmosphere of fear; people do not know what is happening or why communications have suddenly stopped. I see a similar situation in Iran, where internet cuts during unrest prevented images and narratives from reaching the outside world. I believe this similarity shows that the internet has become a tool for controlling narratives in both societies.” Women in both countries face legal and social restrictions, and the internet represents an outlet for them. Cutting off this outlet is like closing a ventilation opening. She says, “For me personally, losing the internet means losing contact with friends, professors, and even distant relatives. This interruption increases the feeling of loneliness.” In a society where freedom of expression is restricted, the internet provided an opportunity to write and express without a mediator. Shutting it down means a return to enforced silence. With every internet blackout, Afghan and Iranian women fall further behind in global academic competition. This setback affects not only individuals, but the future of an entire generation. Zoya Noor concludes, “I consider cutting the internet a tool that harms women the most, because they are in greatest need of it for education, work, solidarity, and self-expression. From my perspective, the comparison between Afghanistan and Iran shows that wherever the internet is cut, the voice of women is the first to fade.”} Video - Source: https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/internet-shutdown-a-heavy-blow-to-women-in-afghanistan-and-iran-38608

Amu - Feb 20, 2026 - by Siyar Sirat
{Bennett to present report on women’s right to health in Afghanistan
Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, said he will present a new report on the right to health for women and girls in Afghanistan at the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. In a post on X following a recent visit to Pakistan, Bennett said he is preparing for the council’s 61st session and will deliver his report on Feb. 26. He also said he plans to make an oral statement addressing what he described as concerning recent human rights developments. Bennett’s report is expected to focus on access to health care for women and girls in Afghanistan, an issue that has drawn international scrutiny since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and imposed sweeping restrictions on women’s education, employment and mobility. The Human Rights Council session comes amid continued debate within the international community over how to address Afghanistan’s deepening humanitarian and rights crisis.} Source: https://amu.tv/227296/

Amu - Feb 20, 2026 by Siyar Sirat
{UN mission says social justice in Afghanistan depends on education, inclusion
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said Friday that social justice in the country cannot be achieved without equal access to employment, education and inclusive participation in decision-making. Marking the World Day of Social Justice, UNAMA outlined what it described as the core conditions for fairness and stability in Afghanistan: equal job opportunities, support for families, universal access to education and broad civic participation. “Every Afghan has the right to work and earn an income without discrimination and with dignity,” the statement said. UNAMA also emphasized the need to support families through humanitarian assistance and alternative livelihood opportunities, describing social protection as an essential element of social justice in Afghanistan. The mission said no country can achieve social justice if half of its population is deprived of secondary education — a reference to the restrictions that have barred many Afghan girls from attending secondary school. It also called for inclusive dialogue, saying sustainable peace in Afghanistan requires the meaningful participation of women, young people, ethnic communities and people with disabilities in decision-making processes. The World Day of Social Justice is observed annually to promote equality, combat discrimination and strengthen social cohesion worldwide.} Source: https://amu.tv/227283/


Afghan woman sitting beside the door-photo-Mahsa Elham
Zan Times - Feb 19, 2026 - by Elham Asadi
{A widow in Daikundi: ‘My husband’s blood was spilled, and no one answers’
A depressed Afghan woman sitting beside the door of her home
File photo: Zan Times/ Mahsa Elham
I am a woman whose entire world was overturned on one spring afternoon in May 2022. My name is Noria. I am about 44 or 45 years old but the mirror reflects a woman who seems to have carried centuries of pain on her shoulders. I want to speak of the days when the shadow of terror fell heavily upon us Hazaras. It has still not lifted.
I am the wife of Mohammad, a man whose only “crime” was farming and striving to earn lawful bread for his family. Mohammad was a 45-year-old hardworking farmer whose entire wealth was six children and a few head of livestock. We lived in the village of Deh-e Naw Barkar, near the border of Ajristan. That spring day in Sawr, the air still carried the scent of blossoms. As usual, Mohammad and I had taken our animals to graze in the surrounding mountains. Everything seemed calm until we suddenly encountered a group of Kuchis. The moment we saw them, our bodies began to tremble. I was truly terrified because I knew they would show us no mercy. Mohammad saw my fear and tried to remain calm to avoid confrontation. “Let’s quickly gather the animals and head back down to the village so there won’t be any trouble,” he said to me. But we did not have time to move the first sheep when one of the Kuchis raised his Kalashnikov toward Mohammad. The gunshot echoed through the mountains. Bullets struck my husband in the head and back.  I could only scream — a sound swallowed by the merciless mountains. I lost my husband before my eyes, and there was nothing I could do. Crying and wailing, I ran down the mountain to reach the village. I told the people what had happened. The men of the village went up to bring down Mohammad’s blood-soaked body. We buried him. But with him, we also buried the peace and security of our family. After that, we believed there must be justice. The local people went to the Miramor district office and filed a petition, but the officials did not even look at it. The villagers were forced to travel the long road to the provincial authorities in Daikundi. They went back and forth, but again there was no result. They did not lose hope and this time went to Kabul. In Kabul, they were promised that the case would be addressed — but it was only a promise. From there, they went to the provincial authorities in Ghazni. Officials in Ghazni said they would instruct the authorities in Ajristan district to investigate. For two full years, we moved from one office to another, but nothing came of our petitions for help. Last year, when the people once again went to the Ajristan district office to seek justice for Mohammad’s blood, the officials said something astonishing. They did not deny the murder, but brazenly declared, “If we are to examine this case, we must also consider that many years ago you killed people from among us.” We understood there was no path to justice for Mohammad when the Taliban said the locals demanding justice must answer for killings from the distant past. The Taliban authorities made no effort to hold the killer accountable. The Kuchis have divided our pastures among themselves, and the area where Mohammad was killed is now under the control of the very people who murdered him. Mohammad’s blood was trampled, because we have no one within this system. Now I am left with an empty house and six children whose eyes are fixed on my hands. My eldest son has gone to Iran to find work and escape this situation. My other children, including three girls, live at home and are between 10 and 20 years old. Our economic condition is shattered. We lost our breadwinner. And now those very pastures are in the hands of the Kuchis, and we do not even dare to go near them. The psychological state of my children and me is not good. I have nightmares every night; the moment of the gunshots, his fall from the rocks, and Mohammad’s lifeless eyes never leave my mind. The Kuchis constantly threaten the entire community. We feel surrounded. We have nowhere to turn, and no one hears our voice. I am a 45-year-old woman who is watching all our inheritance and grazing lands being seized.  We live in extremely harsh conditions and do not know what fate awaits us and our children tomorrow. This is our reality in Daikundi province, in a place where justice has died. Elham Asadi pseudonym of a freelance  journalist in Afghanistan. } Source: https://zantimes.com/2026/02/19/a-widow-in-daikundi-my-husbands-blood-was-spilled-and-no-one-answers/

Jinhagency - Womens News Agency - Feb 19, 2026 BAHARAN LAHIB
{The Taliban and the Reality of Women Between the Oppression of Law and Ongoing Resistance
Women’s rights activist Yalda Ahmad condemned the Taliban’s anti-women laws, emphasizing that only women’s relentless struggle and resistance can challenge oppression and secure justice in Afghanistan
Afghanistan – With the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the social and legal life of women in Afghanistan has witnessed profound and unprecedented changes. The group’s rule has not only altered the country’s political structure, but has also dismantled legal and judicial frameworks and redefined Islamic laws according to its own interpretation. In this context, the Taliban’s policy in Afghanistan’s courts has played a decisive role in shaping women’s legal status. Courts, which are the main authority for adjudicating family, criminal, and civil cases, are directly linked to women’s rights and their fate. After the Taliban government consolidated its control, women’s presence in judicial institutions was drastically reduced, as all female judges and women working in the judiciary were dismissed from their positions. This transformation, which excluded women from the judicial system, made their access to justice more difficult, because in a traditional society, going to male-dominated courts constitutes a cultural and security barrier for many women. Even before the issuance of these principles, women faced imprisonment, sexual harassment, rape, murder, and public flogging for what the Taliban described as “improper hijab” or relationships outside marriage. However, with these new principles, the subjugation of women in Afghanistan has been formalized. The implementation of these principles has had a direct impact on women’s lives in areas such as marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance, and criminal cases. With many of the laws that previously supported women’s rights no longer being applied, there is growing concern that women’s rights are no longer receiving the same level of protection, especially in cases of domestic violence or forced marriage. On the other hand, the emphasis on enforcing religious punishments and carrying some of them out publicly has made society more difficult and tense, leaving many women feeling less safe and less free. In this context, studying the “Taliban’s Principles for the Courts” is not merely an examination of a legal document, but an analysis of the position of women within the new repressive judicial system in Afghanistan.
The Taliban Continue to Commit Violations Against Women
In this regard, Afghan women’s rights activist and psychologist Yalda Ahmad said: “The Taliban have issued a new decision that increases the spread of violence and injustice against women. This reflects the ignorance and hatred of this group toward women, increases their brutality and oppression, and tightens the noose around our oppressed women more than before.” She added: “In the past, the Taliban issued many decisions that were given an Islamic religious character and imposed numerous restrictions on women and the people. These orders reflect the behavior of this group and those who promote it today and claim that it has changed and brought security. This only deepens people’s hatred toward it.” She continued: “The more the Taliban intensify their restrictions, the more decisions are issued against our people. Since this ignorance came to power, our people—especially women—have begun to struggle and resist in different ways, both openly and secretly. They have continued their resistance and have not remained silent.” She concluded: “What this ignorant Taliban, the jihadist groups, and all extremist groups against women must not forget is that the people of Afghanistan, especially women, will one day stand before them at the dawn of freedom in fair courts and bring them before the court of the people, in the hope that Afghanistan will be free from extremism. https://youtu.be/Uvie5GCkf-c} Video - Source: https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/the-taliban-and-the-reality-of-women-between-the-oppression-of-law-and-ongoing-resistance-38597

PIC
Zarmina Paryani
Zan Times - Feb 17, 2026 - by Khadija Haidary
{Surviving Taliban prison: Zarmina Paryani, from religious student to anti-Taliban activist
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Afghan women have faced one of the most relentless crackdowns on civil liberties in modern history. Overnight, the right to education, work, movement, self-expression was stripped away. Ordinary women — teachers, police officers, students, and health workers — emerged in the immediate weeks after the takeover to protest these crushing restrictions, forging a spontaneous movement displaying enormous courage. One of those women is Zarmina Paryani, a trained midwife whose story reflects both the bravery and the brutality of the resistance. In January 2022, after joining protests demanding basic rights, her home was raided by Taliban forces. This interview tells her story in her own voice.
ZT: Tell us about your childhood. Where were you born, and what kind of family did you grow up in?
Paryani: I was born in Panjshir. I grew up in a religious Muslim family. After the age of five, I began going to the mosque and studying religious lessons. Later, when we moved to Kabul, I attended a religious madrasa alongside regular school. Until I was 13, I regularly went to the madrasa and was deeply committed to my religious studies. In Pariyan, a remote area of Panjshir, only religious schools were active at the time. We had to attend the only school available to us.
ZT: What was your family’s view on girls’ education?
Paryani: My father derived his views directly from his understanding of Islam. Whatever he said was what had been told to all of us. He believed women’s rights were limited to what Sharia permits. He would say, “You are allowed only what religion allows you.” In our childhood, women’s rights were defined by what the mullah and the mosque preacher said. My father was one of those men. Everything he expressed reflected what he believed Islam prescribed. At that time, I thought the same way. I read religious books and tried to understand what Sharia allowed me as a woman — what I was permitted to do and what I was not.
ZT: Interpretations of Sharia differ. From your perspective then, what did it say?
Paryani: At that time, the system was structured in a way that we accepted whatever we were told. We were taught that women are “deficient in intellect.” When I heard that, I assumed it must be true. I thought perhaps there really was some flaw in our existence. Like children raised in suicide-training madrasas, we accepted everything without question. I was 13 when, at a family gathering, I wore a dress that showed a small part of my legs. After returning home, I performed a prayer of repentance. I truly believed I had committed a sin.
ZT: What caused your beliefs and understanding to change?
Paryani: As time passed and I grew older, my mother, who herself had been deprived of schooling, would encourage us to study and make progress. She would say, “Reach a place where your hands are not tied to a man.” I also wanted to be independent, not dependent on my father or a future husband. I wanted to study and be able to work. Personally, I never saw myself as less than a man. Later, when I began working and worked alongside my father, I realized in practice that women and men are not different in their abilities. When we moved to Kabul and enrolled in school, until we completed primary education, relatives and people from Pariyan would come to my father and urge him to pull us out of school. They would say it was not appropriate for girls to attend school. At the time, I did not understand what gave them the courage to speak that way. Later, I realized they were drawing their arguments from their understanding of religion and Islam. It was when I was imprisoned by the Taliban that I fully understood how religion can be used as a tool — how it can be manipulated to suppress people. While I was in prison, my perception of religion changed. My thinking shifted so profoundly that when I was released, I felt I had left those former beliefs behind in that prison.
ZT: When you joined the protests, what was your family’s reaction?
Paryani: We went to the protests secretly. No one at home knew we were demonstrating. Families did not support the protests. They certainly would not have agreed. My sisters and I went without telling my father or our relatives. Not only us — all the protesting women demonstrated in secret and came to the streets without informing their families. We would say, “We are women. Whatever happens will happen to us.” Our families never came to the streets to support us. That is why we kept it hidden.
ZT: What happened when your family found out?
Paryani: During the protests, we wore sunglasses and masks so we would not be recognized. As more videos of the demonstrations were broadcast on television, some people informed my father that we were among the protesters. He made us swear and repeatedly insisted that we never attend protests again. He fully realized it when we were arrested. On the first night after our release, when the Taliban handed us over to our family, my father said in front of them, “You were a doctor, why did you go? You should have stayed at the hospital and continued your work. I wish you had not protested. What did you have to do with these matters?” I said nothing. I went home with him.
ZT: What were you doing before the Taliban returned to power?
Paryani: I was a midwife. I worked at a hospital.
ZT: What were your hopes and plans for the future?
Paryani: I dreamed of security and freedom. I wanted to wear the clothes I liked. I hoped to travel to a distant province with friends, but that was never possible. The day the Taliban came, I could not believe it. I could not believe we would lose even the small opportunities we had. We had just enough space to work or to have studied and even that was taken from us.
ZT: When you went to protest, what exactly were you seeking?
Paryani: We were standing up for our personal and human rights. We chanted bread, work, and freedom. As time passed, the Taliban intensified their repression of women. They would not allow women without what they call “Taliban hijab” even to board public minibuses. That compulsory dress code was one of the main reasons I joined the protests at the beginning.
ZT: Knowing how dangerous the Taliban are, what made you protest anyway?
Paryani: On the first day we protested in Shahr-e Naw, when I looked a Taliban fighter in the eye for the first time, I felt as if a wild animal had escaped from a cage and was charging toward us. I had never imagined that one day I would face the Taliban in the street like that. Even before the collapse, if people said a certain road might be controlled by the Taliban, I would avoid traveling that way so I would not encounter them. But that day, it was us and a group of very aggressive Taliban standing face to face. When you live in a country where even your ordinary life is taken away from you, you no longer fear anything when demanding your most basic right: the right to live. When you are not allowed to live as a human being, when a group like the Taliban comes and takes everything, I think we had already accepted death when we went there.
ZT: How were the protests organized? Who was with you?
Paryani: We were ordinary women. Friends who had known each other before. For example, five sisters from one household joined together. Some brought their nieces, cousins, sisters-in-law, colleagues, and friends. We created protest groups on WhatsApp, and they grew larger day by day. Many women joined because they had lost their jobs and were angry. As our group expanded and the protests became larger, we were organizing what would be our final demonstration when the Taliban located our house. Perhaps someone among us gave them the address. Or maybe a woman who had been arrested before us revealed it.
ZT: Before you were imprisoned, how many times had you protested?
Paryani: For nearly six consecutive months, we joined every protest that was organized. January 16, 2022, was our last and our largest demonstration. On January 19, we were arrested. Even before that, there had been growing pressure and hostility against us in the media and on social platforms. It was clear they wanted to silence us. During those days, fear surrounded us. At night, we would not turn on even a small light, so no one outside would know we were inside the room. The night they came to our house, they first knocked softly at the back door. Then they broke the door down and forced their way into the apartment. I was there with three of my sisters. We were alone when they arrested us. Our family had gone elsewhere.} Source: https://zantimes.com/2026/02/17/surviving-taliban-prisons-zarmina-paryani-from-religious-schools-to-one-of-the-faces-of-resistance/

Amu - Feb 19, 2026 - by Siyar Sirat
{Youth Orchestra: Taliban’s burning of musical instrument is attack on cultural identity
The Afghanistan National Institute of Music and the Afghanistan Youth Orchestra, both now operating in exile, condemned the Taliban’s burning of hundreds of musical instruments in Parwan and Laghman Provinces, calling it a direct assault on the country’s cultural identity. In a statement, the institutions said that at least 600 instruments were set alight in Parwan alone. Images circulated in what was described as an official press release showed a pile of instruments burning in an open field. The organizations described the destruction as “a deliberate attempt to erase the cultural identity and artistic heritage of the Afghan people.” Music, they said, has long been an integral part of Afghanistan’s social life, serving as a medium for expression, cohesion and the transmission of cultural traditions. The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has previously said it collected and burned about 500 instruments in Parwan over the past year. According to Taliban officials, the instruments — including harmoniums, tablas, tambours, frame drums and audio equipment — had been gathered from the provincial center and surrounding districts. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have banned music nationwide under their interpretation of Islamic law and dismantled formal arts education. The exiled institutions said thousands of instruments have been destroyed since then, depriving the people of their cultural rights and creating what they described as a climate of repression for artists and musicians. They urged the international community and cultural organizations not to remain silent and called for urgent measures to protect Afghanistan’s musical heritage and support displaced artists. The Taliban have maintained that music is forbidden under their interpretation of religious law.} Source: https://amu.tv/227151/

Amu - Feb 15, 2026 - by Siyar Sirat
{Taliban call Valentine’s Day ‘moral decline’
The Taliban on Saturday described Valentine’s Day as a “day of moral decline,” reiterating their ban on its observance across Afghanistan. Saif al-Din Khyber, spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, said in a post on X that Valentine’s Day was a “day of moral decline and imitation of the West.” He added that the occasion had been given value “only for one day to soothe and satisfy psychological desires.” Expressing regret that some people continue to mark the day, he said that if a young man celebrated Valentine’s Day, he had “followed his desires.” Feb. 14 is marked in many countries as a day of love, with people exchanging flowers, chocolates and greeting cards to express affection for spouses, friends and family members. In the western city of Herat, residents said stickers reading “Valentine’s Day is forbidden” had been placed on the doors of flower shops in Taraqi Park, an area home to dozens of restaurants and several florists that in previous years had been a focal point for Valentine’s shopping. “Today is Feb. 14 and the Taliban are present in every corner of the city, preventing the celebration of Valentine’s Day,” said Farishta Mursal, a Herat resident. “However, some couples still use the day as an excuse to increase affection between them and give each other gifts.” Another resident, Arezu Hamidi, said celebrating Valentine’s Day did not mean following Western culture. “It is an excuse to create a smile and reduce anger and sadness,” she said. In Kabul, some shopkeepers said they had been warned not to decorate their stores with heart symbols or the color red. “We were told not to bring in goods related to this day,” said one Kabul shopkeeper, who declined to be named for security reasons. “They said it is a Western day and we should not normalize Western culture. Out of fear, we did not bring in Valentine’s goods.” Taliban officials have previously said celebrating Valentine’s Day is incompatible with Islamic and cultural values and have banned the sale of related symbols, including red roses and greeting cards. Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed wide-ranging restrictions on social and cultural activities. They have not released figures on enforcement actions related to Valentine’s Day, but residents said heightened monitoring had made observance of the occasion more subdued compared with years before 2021.} Source: https://amu.tv/226418/

Zan Times - Feb 13, 2026 - by Hura Omar, Yalda Amini and Laila Zafari
{‘We pretend we’re married’: How Afghan couples navigate love under the Taliban
In Kabul, Marsal is planning her first Valentine’s Day as a 21-year-old engaged woman. But under Taliban rule, romance requires careful planning and fallback strategies. “I’ll take my seven-year-old niece with me,” she says, explaining how she will celebrate with her love. “If I wear proper hijab and she’s with us, maybe the vice and virtue police won’t bother us. We’ll say we’re husband and wife, and she’s our daughter.” She is referring to officials from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, which is housed at the defunct Ministry of Women’s Affairs since the Taliban retook power in 2021. The ministry’s primary task is to scrutinize interactions between men and women, especially those suspected of being romantically involved. This feels suffocating for a generation that grew up enjoying some freedom: to study, choose their friends, sit together in public, or celebrate occasions like Valentine’s Day. The ministry has become a symbol of state intrusion into private life, particularly for women. On Valentine’s Day, its officers patrol Kabul’s streets, watch restaurant doors, and raid florists selling red roses. Ahead of this year’s Valentine’s Day, the Taliban’s vice and virtue police have shut down flower shops in western Kabul and assaulted shopkeepers for selling fresh flowers. Zan Times has obtained photos showing bruises on two men who were reportedly beaten by vice and virtue officials on Wednesday. Their alleged offence: selling flowers. In 2022, the first Valentine’s Day under Taliban rule, the displays of red balloons and flower bouquets in Pul-e-Surkh and Shahr-e-Naw neighbourhoods of Kabul didn’t last long. By midday, Taliban enforcers had swept through, smashing flower pots, tearing down decorations, and dispersing young people. Their message was clear: publicly expressions of love were  “un-Islamic” and forbidden. Norah remembers that day vividly. The 25-year-old had gone to a west Kabul restaurant with her boyfriend. “Two men in white cloaks came and stood in front of us, smiling,” she recalls. “‘Bravo, bravo,’ they said. Then one of them grabbed my boyfriend by the collar and pulled him up.” More men arrived from outside. A group of four dragged her boyfriend out of the restaurant, beat him, and threatened to arrest them both. “They wanted to take us to the police station. My boyfriend gave them all the money in his pocket so they’d let me go,” Norah says to Zan Times. “I ran to a car and went home. No one in my family knew I had gone out. If they had found out, my father and brothers would have beaten me too.” After that day, their relationship moved entirely online. They no longer risk going out.
Mursal and her fiancé rely on their phones. Engaged for five months through family arrangements, they’ve only met in person four times. They dream of taking photos together, walking freely, laughing in public – those once ordinary gestures of affection that now feel dangerous. “I wished our engagement period could have been more romantic,” Marsal says. “I think: What if the vice and virtue police catches us, and our parents find out? It would ruin our reputation and happiness.” It isn’t love itself that is forbidden; it is simply couples being seen together in public. On Valentine’s Day, any man and woman walking side-by-side become suspects.} Source: https://zantimes.com/2026/02/13/we-pretend-were-married-how-afghan-couples-navigate-love-under-the-taliban/

Amu - Feb 12, 2026 - by Siyar Sirat
{Taliban make NGO-funded education projects conditional on ‘full coordination’
The Taliban-run education ministry has made the implementation of all education projects by non-governmental organzations and donor agencies conditional on what it called “full coordination”, financial transparency and strict adherence to its development project procedures, according to an official document seen by Amu TV. The directive, signed on Feb. 1, 2026, sets out a new oversight framework that effectively places all education-related initiatives under the direct authority of the ministry, which it describes as the main body responsible for regulating, leading and supervising educational activities nationwide. Under the order, implementing organisations must submit detailed documentation before launching any project, including project proposals, budgets, target areas, and implementation and monitoring mechanisms, and obtain formal approval from the ministry. Any changes to budgets, timelines or project content must also receive prior authorisation. The document states that the ministry has the right to directly monitor projects at all stages and to halt activities if it finds violations of procedures, lack of financial transparency or breaches of applicable rules. In such cases, implementing organisations would be held accountable and the ministry would make a final decision. It also requires regular, transparent and documented reporting on project progress and outcomes. The ministry says in the document that the move was intended to prevent parallel programmes, enhance accountability and ensure alignment with its priorities. Although no specific organizations or programs are named, the directive applies to all education projects, including community-based classes that have been supported in recent years by international agencies such as UNESCO. These classes have provided basic education in parts of the country to children who lack access to the formal school system. Thousands of students in remote areas are currently enrolled in UN-supported community classes. The decision comes as girls above grade six remain barred from attending school under Taliban policy, a restriction that has drawn widespread international condemnation and sharply curtailed funding for the education sector. The Taliban education ministry and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) did not respond to requests for comment on the directive.} Source: https://amu.tv/225913/


women’s role vital
Amu - Feb 11, 2026 - by Siyar Sirat
{EU says women’s role vital for ‘healthy and prosperous’ Afghanistan
The EU delegation in Kabul says that the active participation of women is essential for a “healthy and prosperous” Afghanistan, marking International Day of Women and Girls in Science against the backdrop of ongoing restrictions on girls’ education under Taliban rule. In a statement, the EU delegation said it was celebrating Afghan women and girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). “From nurses and midwives to researchers, their active role is vital for a healthy and prosperous Afghanistan,” it said. “Women must be at the heart of science. With partners, we continue to support Education for All.” The comments come as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has said it is marking the day “with deep sorrow,” noting that more than 1,600 days have passed since girls over 12 were barred from secondary school. The Taliban have also banned women from universities and restricted their participation in most areas of public life. UNAMA has repeatedly called on the Taliban o lift the bans, warning of long-term social and economic consequences for the country. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science was established by the U.N. General Assembly in 2015 to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls. The United Nations says the day highlights the achievements of women scientists and underscores the need to eliminate gender discrimination in scientific fields. } Source: https://amu.tv/225776/


Malala Yousafzai, The Fighter for Free Education for All
Zan Times - February 10, 2026 by Dr. Amna Mehmood
{Education without borders: How Afghan Women are rebuilding knowledge outside institutions
On the International Day of Education for Women and Girls, education is often discussed in terms of access: Who is allowed to enter a classroom, who is denied schooling, who is excluded by law or policy? In the case of Afghanistan, this conversation has been both urgent and necessary. Yet after years of documenting exclusion, a more analytically demanding question now emerges: What happens to education when institutions no longer function,and who carries knowledge forward when formal systems collapse? Afghanistan represents one of the most extreme cases of territorial exclusion from education. Universities are closed to women and secondary schooling is suspended as the Taliban has systematically dismantled the institutional architecture of learning. But education itself has not disappeared. Instead, it has reconfigured, moving beyond classrooms, borders, and state permission. In this transformation, Afghan women are not merely preserving learning; they are actively rebuilding education as a transnational, distributed, and woman-led practice. This is not a story of survival. It is a story of academic labour, intellectual continuity, and the emergence of new educational forms that challenge long-held assumptions about where knowledge resides and who is authorized to produce it.} Read more at Source: https://zantimes.com/2026/02/10/education-without-borders-how-afghan-women-are-rebuilding-knowledge-outside-institutions/

Malala Yousafzai and father Ziauddin Yousafzai
Zan Times - Nov 10, 2025 - by Ziauddin Yousafzai
{Letter from Ziauddin Yousafzai, co-founder of Malala Fund, for Afghan men
To Afghan fathers and brothers,
I have been where you are now. I was once a father watching helplessly as the Taliban tried to erase my daughter’s future. In 2008, they took over our town in Swat Valley and forbade our girls from going to school. My daughter, Malala, risked her life to speak out against this injustice. Over the last four years, your daughters and sisters have been fighting for their dreams and ambitions — learning in secret, expressing themselves through poetry and art, resisting in every way they can. And I have seen your courage too: male students walking out of their classrooms in protest as their female classmates were barred from learning, fathers risking everything to make sure their daughters can continue their education, families and communities opening their homes to support underground schools. You know that every girl deserves an education, and your bravery and love are keeping hope alive.
As Muslim men — whether in safety or in struggle — we are called by our faith to stand with girls and women in defending their right to learn, to work and to move freely. Education is not a Western idea; it is a sacred duty. The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught us that seeking knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim — man and woman alike. Our own history affirms this: Khadija, a successful businesswoman, and Aisha, one of the greatest scholars of Islam, each embodied the power of learning guided by faith. I know these are difficult and dangerous times. To stay silent in the face of injustice can feel safer, but it is to turn away from our faith’s legacy. Speaking against the Taliban’s gender apartheid regime is frightening, but remaining silent is far more terrifying because nothing will change on its own. To speak out is both a father’s duty and a believer’s duty to protect the dignity and future of our daughters. To every brave Afghan father and brother helping girls learn: I salute your courage. Never give up hope, and remember you are not alone. Malala Fund will continue standing with and supporting you. Until Afghanistan is free from gender apartheid, every home must become a secret school, every kitchen a classroom, every living room a place of resistance. You can shift cultural expectations and behaviours in your homes and show that valuing girls’ education is a mark of integrity and strength. You can create an environment where learning is protected, even when the world outside is hostile:
●      Teach reading, math or other skills at home. Even basic lessons, practiced consistently, help girls continue their education.
●      Share resources: Use phones and the internet (where possible) to download books, podcasts or educational videos. Organisations like Begum Organization, Education Bridge for Afghanistan and LEARN Afghan provide courses through radio, satellite television and online.
●      Encourage study circles: Brothers can quietly gather cousins, sisters or neighbours to read and study together, providing companionship and safety.
●      Model respect: Men should praise and encourage girls’ learning, showing boys that supporting their sisters’ education is honourable.
●      Create time and space: Brothers and fathers can take on household chores so girls have time to study.
●      Keep hope alive: Words of encouragement strengthen girls’ resilience in the face of oppression.
Remember that the Taliban can take away girls’ schools, jobs and public spaces, but they cannot take what lives in your heart and mind, nor the knowledge you choose to pass on. Your courage at home today strengthens the fight for girls and women’s freedom everywhere.
In solidarity,
Ziauddin Yousafzai, co-founder of Malala Fund} Source: https://zantimes.com/2025/11/10/letter-from-ziauddin-yousafzai-co-founder-of-malala-fund-for-zan-times/

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