The human rights organisation Hengaw has reported that the Islamic Republic of Iran executed at least 87 prisoners in January 2025, including eight Afghan citizens. The report notes a 17.5 percent increase in executions compared to the same period last year.
On Saturday, 1 February, Hengaw revealed that among those executed, 17 were Kurdish, 10 Lur, and 4 Baloch prisoners. The organisation further stated that only three of the 87 executions have been officially confirmed by the Iranian government.
Hengaw, which operates outside Iran, also disclosed that six of the executions were conducted in secret, without notifying the prisoners’ families or allowing them a final visit.
According to the report, the charges against those executed included: 35 prisoners convicted of drug-related offences. 50 prisoners found guilty of “premeditated murder” and two individuals accused of “rape”.
The United Nations Human Rights Office previously reported that at least 901 people were executed in Iran in 2024, including 31 women.
Khalid Pashtoon, spokesperson for the National Resistance Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan, has denied reports of a meeting between the council’s leadership and a high-ranking delegation from Pakistan’s intelligence agency.
Speaking to Afghanistan International, Pashtoon clarified that while no such meeting had taken place, the council remained open to dialogue if Pakistan were to send a delegation focused on “peace and improving conditions in Afghanistan.”
Earlier, sources had informed Afghanistan International that a senior delegation from Pakistan’s intelligence agency was scheduled to meet former Afghan officials and jihadist figures in Istanbul. The reported meeting was expected to include prominent figures such as Abdul Rashid Dostum, Salahuddin Rabbani, Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Mohammad Mohaqiq, and Karim Khalili.
According to these sources, the discussions aimed to strengthen Pakistan’s engagement with opposition groups to the Taliban and explore the possibility of reopening their political offices in Islamabad.
However, Pashtoon dismissed these claims, asserting: “If Pakistan wants to meet with the Resistance Council, it is a form of engagement, and such meetings should not be considered wrong or sinful.”
Referring to the differing perspectives within Pakistan’s government and military, Pashtoon noted that while the Pakistani government opposes the Afghan Taliban, “Pakistani military personnel are present in Kabul and Kandahar, advising Taliban ministries.”
He also confirmed that the council’s leadership had recently met with a delegation of U.S. peace researchers in Ankara, Türkiye, though he refrained from disclosing details of the discussions.
Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Pakistan has repeatedly accused the group of harbouring Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants. However, the Taliban has consistently denied these allegations, maintaining that Afghan territory will not be used against any country.
Mohammad Nabi Omari, the Taliban’s Deputy Minister of Interior, was moved to tears while speaking about the group’s strict restrictions on girls’ education, imposed by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
In a video widely circulated on social media, Omari is seen breaking down during a speech on the closure of girls’ schools. He urged for their reopening, stating: “All I know is that even if [girls’ education] is not a religious obligation or tradition, it is at least permissible.” Shortly after making this remark, he became visibly emotional.
A local source in Khost province told Afghanistan International that Omari delivered the speech on Monday, 27 January, at a gathering in the Aisha Siddiqa girls’ school in the province.
During his address, Omari pleaded: “May God guide us. Religious studies are allowed, so modern sciences should also be permitted.” He warned that the Taliban’s extreme policies could result in future generations being “Muslim in name only.”
The video surfaced just days after Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban’s Deputy Foreign Minister, was forced to flee Afghanistan following his public condemnation of the school closures.
According to sources, after Stanikzai spoke out against the suppression of the rights of 20 million Afghans, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered his arrest in Kandahar. However, before he could be detained, he managed to escape to the United Arab Emirates with the assistance of Taliban Defence Minister.
U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett has called for the deportation of Afghan YouTuber Emran Rahimi, citing alleged ties to Taliban intelligence and concerns over potential security threats to the United States.
Burchett stated that Rahimi has "potential connections" with the Taliban’s intelligence agency and should be expelled to safeguard national security and uphold American values.
On Friday, Burchett wrote on the social media platform X: “The Biden administration willingly handed a visa to a man who enjoyed unrestricted access to top Taliban commanders.”
In October 2024, Burchett had previously addressed a letter to former U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, raising concerns about Rahimi’s associations with senior Taliban figures and the risks his presence might pose in the U.S.
The letter stated: “Rahimi has actively participated in efforts to sanitise the image of the brutal Taliban regime, consistently portraying their actions as a source of stability in Afghanistan while encouraging members of the Afghan diaspora in the West to return to Taliban-controlled areas.”
Burchett further warned that Rahimi’s presence in the U.S. could endanger former Afghan military personnel and their families currently residing in the country. He expressed deep concerns for their safety and well-being.
Additionally, the congressman urged the U.S. State Department to closely monitor Rahimi’s activities and associations, arguing that his connections could pose a significant threat to national security and undermine the fundamental values upheld by American citizens.
The letter also referenced Rahimi’s alleged ties to high-ranking Taliban officials, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, as well as his reported access to the Taliban’s training camps and the residences of former Afghan government officials.
In his latest statement on X, Burchett reiterated that Rahimi remains in the United States and must be identified and deported without delay.
Rahimi, who recently migrated to the U.S., had been active as a YouTuber in Afghanistan over the past three years. During this period, some critics accused him of collaborating with the Taliban, further fuelling controversy over his presence in the United States.
A high-ranking delegation from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is set to meet with former Afghan officials and prominent jihadist figures in Istanbul on Saturday.
Sources informed Afghanistan International that political figures including Salahuddin Rabbani, Abdul Rashid Dostum, Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Mohammad Mohaqiq, and Karim Khalili are expected to participate in the discussions.
According to obtained information, the primary objective of these meetings is to bolster Pakistan’s engagement with the political opposition to the Taliban. Additionally, discussions will centre on the potential reopening of these groups’ political offices in Islamabad and exploring avenues for joint cooperation in countering the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
This meeting marks the second visit by a high-ranking Pakistani delegation to Türkiye in the past three months, underscoring Islamabad’s increasing diplomatic and strategic efforts in the region.
The ISI officials’ engagement with Taliban opponents highlights Pakistan’s growing initiative to strengthen ties with Afghan political leaders and seek common ground in addressing regional security challenges.
These developments come amid escalating concerns over Taliban activities and mounting domestic and international pressure to formulate viable political and security solutions for Afghanistan.
Amnesty International has urged the cricket world to support the Afghan women's national cricket team to play at the highest level.
The organisation welcomed the return of the Afghan women's national cricket team to the field after years of exile, calling it "great news”.
On Friday, January 31, Amnesty International supported the Afghan women's cricket team's match in Melbourne, Australia, saying that the Taliban must "immediately" lift "severe restrictions" on the rights of Afghan women and girls.
The organisation stressed that the Taliban must end systematic gender-based harassment in Afghanistan.
The Afghan women's cricket team recently played a friendly match against Women's Cricket Without Borders after nearly three and a half years.
The match, held in Melbourne, Australia, ended with the Afghan women's cricket team losing by seven wickets. However, some sports experts have called the return of the women's team to the field a "major victory" for Afghan women.
After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, they banned all sports for women, among other restrictions. The members of the Afghan women's cricket team, who are based in Australia, have not participated in any official match since then.