Torkham Border Closed To Passengers, Freight Traffic Still Allowed

The 12th edition of the awards ceremony took place on Thursday, 8 May, in Washington, where Iran International was recognised for its efforts in amplifying the voices of the Iranian people and maintaining integrity in its news coverage.

The award is part of American Abroad Media (AAM) initiatives that recognises individuals and organisations contributing to education, empowerment, and the enhancement of the media's role in providing effective public information. The event also promotes dialogue, press freedom, and responsible journalism, attracting politicians, diplomats, and cultural figures from around the world.

Mehdi Parpanchi, Executive Editor of Iran International’s Washington office, accepted the award on behalf of the network’s audience, highlighting that much of its content is based on stories and reports sent from across Iran.

“Today, Iran International is the most-watched news channel inside the country and across the diaspora. We are the only 24/7 newsroom fully dedicated to Iranian news, and that is not just a technical setup, it is a line of communication in the dark,” said Parpanchi during his acceptance speech.

In May 2024, Iran International also received the 2024 Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy’s “Courage Award.” This recognition highlighted the threats and pressures faced by the network’s journalists and praised their bravery, noting that the Islamic Republic’s Ministry of Intelligence has labelled the network a “terrorist organisation” due to its reporting.

Aliasghar Ramezanpour, Executive News Editor of Iran International, said in a related interview that the outlet considers itself part of the broader family of Iranian journalists, many of whom have faced repression over the past four decades. He emphasised that the regime’s anger towards Iran International stems from its fear of those very journalists.

The two leaders underscored the importance of regional platforms in facilitating a political resolution to the Afghan crisis.

The Moscow Format and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation are key platforms through which Russia and China engage on Afghanistan-related issues. The statement highlighted both countries’ intent to deepen cooperation, both bilaterally and through multilateral avenues, to support a peaceful Afghanistan free from terrorism and drug trafficking, and one that lives in harmony with its neighbours.

Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Thursday and attended Russia’s Victory Parade on Friday, which marked the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The two presidents held a bilateral meeting on Thursday evening, during which they issued the joint statement.

Although neither Russia nor China officially recognises the Taliban, similar to most other countries, they maintain close diplomatic and economic relations with the group.

On 17 April, Russia’s Supreme Court approved a request from the Prosecutor General to suspend the Taliban’s designation as a terrorist organisation. Oleg Nefedov, a judge at the Supreme Court, confirmed that the decision to lift the ban on the Taliban’s activities is effective immediately.

According to the commission, 2627 Afghans were deported from Pakistan and 1508 from Iran. The returnees entered Afghanistan through the Torkham, Spin Boldak, Islam Qala, and Pul-e-Abrisham border crossings.

In an update issued on Friday, 9 May, the commission stated that 745 of the returnees had been transferred from Kabul to various provinces, including Ghazni, Logar, Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Baghlan, Takhar, Balkh, Jowzjan, and Kunduz.

Just one day earlier, on Wednesday, 4978 Afghan migrants were also deported from Iran and Pakistan, reflecting a continuing wave of forced returns.

According to the rights group, the executions were carried out in the early hours of Sunday. All individuals had been sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary on drug-related charges.

The Afghan national was identified as 52-year-old Alireza Lalouzai, a resident of Mashhad. He had been arrested three years earlier and later convicted of drug trafficking offences.

The six other individuals executed were named as Khosrow Sarani (42), Mahmoud Sarani (41), Yousef Sorourvash (52), Mousa Shokoohi (41), Mojtaba Lakzaei (34), and Ali Noori (35). The organisation noted that four of them were Iranian citizens of Baluch ethnicity.

The executions were reportedly carried out in secrecy, with no prior notification or final visitation rights granted to the prisoners’ families.

As of now, there has been no official confirmation or reporting from Iranian state media or judicial authorities regarding the executions.

The initiative is being relaunched in memory of Dr Tetsu Nakamura, the former head of Peshawar-kai, who was affectionately known in Afghanistan as “Kaka Murad”. Dr Nakamura, a revered figure for his decades-long humanitarian work, was killed in an armed attack in Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province, in 2019.

According to Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, the organisation intends to restart its medical programme later this year. The project will focus on providing medication, training healthcare personnel, and dispatching mobile medical teams to areas including Nangarhar Province.

Dr Nakamura began treating leprosy patients in Pakistan during the 1980s and later expanded his efforts into Afghanistan, where he also led major water management and irrigation projects aimed at improving agricultural livelihoods.

With the slogan “Keeping Dr Nakamura’s spirit of service alive,” Peshawar-kai aims to strengthen healthcare services in some of Afghanistan’s most underserved regions.

Despite restrictions imposed by the Taliban authorities on female participation in the health sector, the organisation hopes to recruit women doctors to help deliver treatment.

In January 2024, officials from the Nangarhar provincial administration and the Taliban-run Ministry of Public Health formally requested the organisation to restart its leprosy treatment services.

According to World Health Organisation data, only 45 cases of leprosy were officially recorded in Afghanistan in 2017. However, due to ongoing challenges in the country’s healthcare infrastructure, the true number of infections remains unclear.