Fear of Sexual Assault Won’t Hamper My Fight For Freedom, Says Afghan Rights Activist

Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world and UNFPA says that midwives can fulfil about 90 percent of the immediate reproductive health needs of mothers, babies and adolescent girls.

According to the statement, there is a need for about 900,000 more trained midwives globally.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said that in 2021, it supported more than 70 family clinics in Afghanistan, but that number has now increased more than six-fold to 477 clinics, despite the very challenging operating environment.

Since 2021, these clinics have helped more than five million Afghans access vital health services, especially in remote and hard-to-reach areas, according to the report.

High maternal mortality rate

The report of the United Nations Population Fund states that Afghanistan has long had one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, so much so that every hour, a woman dies due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth.

These deaths are largely preventable with the care of skilled midwives, according to the statement.

For every 100,000 births, 638 mothers die in childbirth, due to poverty, limited access to health services and gender inequality, as per a report.

Referring to the restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women's education, work, and travel, the UNFPA said that the prospects for this situation appear more dangerous for women, girls, and future generations in Afghanistan.

The court's statement detailed that the individual had been found guilty of insulting Islamic sanctities.

The sentencing was handed down by the Public Security Court of the Khost Primary Court, and the punishment was carried out in the presence of Aminullah Munib, the director of the Khost Court of Appeals, along with military and civilian government officials.

The Taliban did not disclose the identity of the individual in question.
This incident follows a similar case from the previous day, where the Taliban's Supreme Court revealed that a woman in Kabul had been flogged 35 times on charges of maintaining an extramarital affairs. The court added that she had been sentenced to two years in prison but did not provide further details about her identity or the manner in which the punishment was executed.

The ministry stated that the appointment of Mohammad Rahman Rahmani is significant for the development of relations between the two nations.

In a statement, the ministry mentioned that Alibek Bakayev, Kazakhstan's Deputy Foreign Minister, met the "head of the Afghan Embassy" in the city of Astana on Wednesday.

The statement did not refer to the "Islamic Emirate," the title the Taliban use for their regime.

Bakayev said, "Afghanistan's active presence among regional countries will lead to the revival of its economy and stability. This will improve the situation of the Afghan people and contribute to peace and security in the region."

The Deputy Foreign Minister emphasised that the official recognition of the Taliban representative as Chargé d'Affaires is aimed at "enhancing trade, economic, and humanitarian cooperation between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan”.

Last month, Turkmenistan, another key Central Asian country, also accepted a Taliban diplomat as the Chargé d'Affaires of the Afghan Embassy in Ashgabat.
Russia and Central Asian countries have been at the forefront of expanding relations with the Taliban regime in the region.

In June, Kazakhstan's President announced that the country had removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist groups to facilitate economic relations with Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

According to these sources, the Taliban detained these individuals without any specific charges.

Some of the imprisoned individuals, who wished to remain anonymous, told Afghanistan International's Pashto service that none of them know the reason for their detention, and the Taliban have provided no explanation to them.

Many of these prisoners have been in custody for nearly two and a half years, yet their fate remains uncertain.

Most of the detainees were arrested by the Taliban's Intelligence Directorate, Police Command, and the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Nangarhar.

One prisoner stated, "If Mullah Hibatullah's amnesty applies to everyone, then why are we still in prison? Yes, we served in the national army, some were in the police, and some in the NDS; but after the regime change, we left our duties, and I even started a shop in my village."

Another detainee, who identified himself as Rahmanullah, mentioned that his family struggles to visit him in prison. Rahmanullah also revealed that the former soldiers in Jalalabad prison had written to the Taliban governor in Nangarhar, requesting a decision on their fate, but they have yet to receive a response.

He added, "What kind of amnesty is this? Either kill us all or take us to court so we can understand what our charges are." He also mentioned that the staff of the Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice refer to them as "slaves of infidels" and subject them to psychological and emotional torture.

Meanwhile, a source in Nangarhar province told Afghanistan International that a meeting was held earlier last month to discuss the fate of these prisoners.

According to this source, during the administrative meeting, representatives from the province, intelligence, and police command were assigned the task of reviewing the cases of the 231 former security personnel and then presenting them to the court.

The source further stated that the Taliban's Intelligence Directorate and Police Command would investigate the records of former army soldiers and NDS members to determine how many battles they had participated in and whether they had killed anyone during the conflict.

Nangarhar province had the highest number of soldiers serving in the ranks of the former security forces.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reported on several occasions that the Taliban has imprisoned, tortured, and even executed former soldiers and government employees; however, the group has repeatedly denied these allegations.

The law states that it is necessary to cover "the entire body of a woman and to hide her face due to fear of sedition”. How men dress is another part of the Taliban's law.
The Taliban's Ministry of Justice said that this law has been published in the official gazette with an introduction, four chapters, and 35 articles.

According to this law, the Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice is obligated to "enjoin the good and forbid the evil in accordance with Islamic Sharia and Hanafi jurisprudence”.

According to the Taliban's Ministry of Justice, in the law signed by Mullah Hibatullah, the Ministry of Virtue is obliged to "enjoin virtue and forbid vice" in relation to the clothing of men and women.

"Obliging people and employees of Emirati offices to respect Islamic rites, obliging media officials to publish content in accordance with Sharia, not insulting Muslims, and publishing content that does not contain soulful photographs" are among the duties of the Taliban's Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

The law also prohibits the playing of music, the transportation of women without a mahram [guaridan] or without a hijab [cover], and the mixing of women with men in vehicles.

The Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has also been tasked with preventing the shaving of the beard.

According to this law, if a person ignores the instructions of the the Talibam morality police for the Promotion of Virture, he will be punished "from one hour to three days in public prisons and ultimately a punishment that is deemed appropriate” by the morality police.

The Taliban's Ministry of Virtue announced on Tuesday, August 21, that it had arrested more than 13,000 people in the past year for "immoral acts”.
The ministry said that during this period, it has also dismissed more than 280 members of its security forces for not growing beards.