The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has strongly condemned the arrest of two employees of Radio Begum, describing the move as deeply concerning and calling for their immediate release.
He also urged the Taliban to cease its intimidation and arbitrary detention of journalists.
On Tuesday, the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture ordered the closure of Radio Begum, citing “multiple violations,” including the station’s alleged broadcasting of content for a foreign-based television network and “breaching licensing conditions and regulations.”
Following the shutdown, the station reported that some of its equipment had been confiscated, and two of its employees had been arrested.
The closure and arrests have sparked international condemnation, with media rights organisations demanding the unconditional release of the detained staff and the reinstatement of the station, which is known for its focus on women’s issues.
Bennett reiterated his call for the journalists’ release, warning that the continued intimidation and arbitrary detention of media workers have “devastated the civic space in Afghanistan.”
The Taliban’s Ministry of Communications has confirmed that documents from multiple government departments have been leaked in what appears to be an unprecedented cyber breach.
On Thursday, the ministry stated that preliminary investigations suggest the documents were obtained sporadically from individual computers lacking proper security measures. However, Taliban officials maintain that their central government database has not been compromised.
Unprecedented Cyberattack on Taliban Government
An unidentified group launched a cyberattack on the Taliban administration’s database, publishing classified documents from 21 ministries and independent agencies online.
In an official statement, the Taliban’s Ministry of Communications said: “Based on the leaked documents, many belong to departments that previously lacked dedicated systems.”
The ministry downplayed the breach, claiming that most of the leaked files were already publicly accessible and related to past years. Officials further insisted that “no system has been hacked, all systems remain secure, and there are no issues.”
Despite these assurances, the Taliban has accused the leak of being an attempt to mislead public opinion through the media.
Government Agencies Affected
The data breach has reportedly exposed information from key ministries, including Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Information and Culture; Ministry of Mines; Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and the Taliban’s Supreme Court.
Thousands of leaked documents have been published on a website called “TalibLeaks.” However, the identities of the hackers and the details surrounding the website remain unknown, with no group yet claiming responsibility for the cyberattack.
Documents reviewed by Afghanistan International indicate that members of the Taliban have cooperated in the legal proceedings leading to a request for the arrest of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s supreme leader, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, its chief justice.
According to sources, Karim Khan, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has accused the two Taliban leaders of crimes against humanity, specifically gender-based violence. In gathering evidence to support the arrest warrant request, Khan’s office has engaged with various groups, including women’s rights activists, human rights defenders, Afghan politicians, and Taliban members.
It remains unclear what ranks and positions these Taliban members hold or how they managed to testify or provide evidence against their leader.
ICC Expected to Issue Arrest Warrants
In January 2024, Karim Khan announced that his office had submitted two arrest warrant requests to the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber II. The court’s 18 judges are expected to review the case in the coming weeks, with a decision anticipated by the end of this month.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor stated that the evidence collected provides reasonable grounds to hold Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani criminally responsible for crimes against humanity and gender-based violence.
According to Khan’s office, the Taliban has committed multiple crimes, including murder, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and other inhumane acts.
Taliban Responds to ICC Arrest Warrants
The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed the ICC’s actions as politically motivated. The group argues that the ICC should not impose a specific interpretation of human rights while ignoring religious and national values of different societies.
In response to mounting international pressure, including the ICC prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has reportedly told Taliban members “not to fear Western countries’ threats.”
The ICC has previously issued arrest warrants for leaders of Russia, Israel, and Hamas, marking its continued efforts to prosecute those accused of serious violations of international law.
Documents leaked from Taliban databases have revealed that the group imprisoned at least 352 Afghan women and detained 1,081 others between March 2023 and March 2024 (1402 Solar Hijri Calendar).
The leaked files also indicate that dozens of foreign nationals, including six women, are in Taliban custody.
These documents, which contain sensitive information from several Taliban ministries and directorates, were recently published on a website named “Talibleaks.” A significant portion of the leaked files pertains to the Directorate of Prisons, covering both central and provincial prisons.
18,000 People Held in Taliban Custody
According to the leaked records, the total number of detainees in prisons and detention centres across Kabul and the provinces amounts to around 18,000 individuals, including 16,507 men and more than 1,300 Afghan women. Among the detainees, 63 foreign men are also in custody.
The total number of detained and imprisoned women includes 1,374 Afghan women and six foreign women. Of the foreign nationals held in Taliban prisons or detention centres, 31 men are prisoners, while 32 men are under detention. Additionally, two foreign women are imprisoned, and four others are detained.
Foreign Nationals Among Those Held
The leaked files include a detailed table listing the number of detainees across various provinces: In Herat, three men and two women have been imprisoned. In Nangarhar, 11 foreign men and one foreign woman are under detention. Kunar, which borders Pakistan, has reported five detained individuals. In Kandahar, one foreign man has been imprisoned, while eight others are detained.
The table does not specify the identities or nationalities of the foreign detainees.
Highest Number of Detainees in Kabul
The list, dated 5 October 2023, indicates that Kabul has the highest number of detainees. According to the report: 1,372 men are being held in Pul-e-Charkhi prison. 1,817 individuals are in various detention facilities across Kabul. The highest numbers of imprisoned women were recorded in: Herat 96 women; Kabul 70 women; Samangan 36 women. The highest numbers of detained women were found in Kabul 209 women; Herat 126 women; Balkh 112 women; and Samangan 14 women.
Provincial Breakdown of Imprisoned and Detained Women
The leaked documents also detail the number of female detainees and prisoners across other provinces: In Parwan – 19 prisoners, 25 detainees; Sar-e-Pol – 18 prisoners, 17 detainees; Jowzjan – 18 prisoners, 55 detainees; Kandahar – 14 prisoners, 45 detainees; Takhar – 35 detainees; Farah – 19 prisoners; Ghazni – 13 prisoners, 36 detainees, and Khost – 26 detainees.
Massive Data Breach a Blow to Taliban’s Information Security
This leaked table represents just a fraction of the thousands of classified documents now in the public domain. Portions of these records have been accessed by Afghanistan International.
The release of these files marks a major setback for the Taliban’s efforts to control information. The group has consistently attempted to restrict access to data and censor the media, but this breach has exposed significant details about their governance and security operations.
A Taliban official letter has revealed that 8,192 individuals, including former government officials, have been prohibited from leaving the country in 1403 (Solar Hijri Calendar).
The directive, issued by the Directorate for Supervision and Execution of Orders—formerly the Attorney General’s Office—states that these individuals are banned from international travel due to “numerous cases related to them, each containing dozens of volumes.”
Taliban Leader’s Direct Order
According to official documents, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, has personally ordered that these individuals cannot leave Afghanistan without his written approval.
This move comes despite the Taliban’s earlier announcement of a “general amnesty” for former government officials following their takeover of power in August 2021. Since then, however, the group has compiled hundreds of pages of files on these individuals.
Leaked Documents Expose Travel Restrictions
Recently, a hacking group leaked hundreds of pages of classified Taliban documents from several key ministries, including the Directorate for Supervision and Execution of Orders. Portions of these documents have been accessed and shared with Afghanistan International.
One official memorandum on the travel ban also states that any Taliban officials with related criminal or personal files are similarly barred from leaving the country without the Taliban leader’s permission.
Unclear Legal Proceedings Against Former Officials
The details of the charges against former officials remain unclear. However, the documents suggest that the Taliban intends to pursue multiple cases against them.
It is still unknown how many of these individuals have been interrogated, had their cases reviewed in Taliban courts, or received formal verdicts. The Taliban has not provided further clarification on the legal status of these cases.
Leaked documents from the Taliban administration reveal that Mullah Hibatullah, the group’s leader, has issued a decree banning the “public and physical” presence of intelligence personnel in all government institutions, particularly within the Ministries of Defence and Interior.
The decree mandates that intelligence officers withdraw from these ministries and other governmental bodies. However, if operational or intelligence activities are required within these institutions, they must be coordinated with senior officials from the respective ministries to ensure full collaboration.
The order was issued by Noor-ul-Haq Anwar, Director-General of Administrative Affairs, and communicated to the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and other government agencies.
Unprecedented Data Leak in Afghanistan
This decree is part of thousands of leaked documents published online by an anonymous hacking group. Afghanistan International has obtained access to portions of these records, marking an unprecedented intelligence leak in Afghanistan.
Although previous reports have suggested tensions between the Taliban’s security agencies, particularly between the Intelligence Directorate and the Ministry of Interior, the leaked documents do not specify why intelligence personnel are being removed from these ministries but not from other government institutions.
The Taliban’s intelligence agency has played a key role in surveillance, and crime prevention since the group’s return to power.