Taliban’s Censorship Extends To Own Leader’s Remarks, Speech Reveals

“We must not allow the light of the Islamic regime to be extinguished,” Akhund said, emphasising the need to protect what he described as the foundations of an Islamic system.

He accused the media of spreading “false judgements” about the Taliban and claimed the group’s achievements are being deliberately downplayed. While acknowledging existing challenges, Akhund urged citizens to remain vigilant and not allow adversaries to undermine the regime.

The Taliban leader also encouraged the public to “value the Sharia-based system and the security it brings.”

His remarks come amid mounting criticism from both domestic and international observers over the Taliban’s crackdown on the media and freedom of expression since returning to power in 2021.

According to multiple reports, dozens of media outlets have been shut down over the past four years, and hundreds of journalists have been threatened, detained and forced into exile.

“Certainly, the government distinguishes between Afghans with documents and those without,” Mohajerani said.

Iranian domestic media reported Saturday, 7 June, that the spokesperson added: “The government’s focus is on returning undocumented foreigners to their countries and granting residence permits to those who are documented, in accordance with the law.”

According to Mohajerani, the Islamic Republic is determined to deport undocumented Afghan migrants.

These statements come amid growing reports from Afghan citizens who have shared videos with Afghanistan International, claiming that they were arrested and deported by Iranian police despite holding valid visas and legal documents.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) previously reported that in May, 15,675 Afghan families were forcibly returned from Iran to Afghanistan. Of these, 11,201 families were deported, nearly twice the number recorded in April.

The sharp increase in the return of Afghan migrants from Iran, along with intensified forced deportations from Pakistan, has created serious challenges for Afghanistan. Despite this, the Taliban authorities are cooperating with the Iranian government on the deportation and return of Afghan migrants.

According to the report, the antennas have been deployed in four provinces and are capable of providing telecommunications services to up to 10 million people.

The report, published Thursday, 5 June, states that St Petersburg-based Protey has established a core 4G network in Afghanistan, marking the first time the company has exported its technology outside Russia.

The network was reportedly developed in partnership with the state-owned telecom giant Rostelecom and is considered the first fully domestic Russian solution designed to replace foreign hardware and software.

Protey entered the Afghan market after major telecom companies such as Ericsson and Nokia exited the country, and Chinese firms including Huawei and ZTE significantly scaled back operations, changes that followed the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

Alesya Mamchur, Rostelecom vice president, confirmed that the network had been installed in four Afghan provinces, though she did not specify which ones. She added that the infrastructure could serve an estimated 10 million users.

Russian analysts have noted that Protey’s operations in Afghanistan could serve as a launchpad for expansion into other markets in the Global South.

Protey was placed under US sanctions last year for its involvement in sectors deemed to support Russia’s military-industrial base.

A week after Afghanistan International first reported the incidents, the UN said that some of its Afghan female employees had been forced to work from home due to security concerns.

At least three UN sources in Kabul told Afghanistan International that on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, armed Taliban members targeted, followed and intimidated several Afghan women working for various UN agencies in the capital.

Several women, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said they had been threatened both in the streets and by phone calls from men warning them to “stay home.” One female UN employee told the news agency she had received repeated messages in recent weeks, containing insults and threats for “working with foreigners.”

According to AFP, UNAMA acknowledged that some of its Afghan female staff in Kabul had been threatened by unidentified individuals because of their work with the UN.

“Several United Nations female national staff members in the Afghan capital Kabul have been subjected to threats by unidentified individuals related to their work with the UN,” the organisation said in a statement.

UNAMA added that, given the seriousness of the threats, the UN had implemented “interim” measures to ensure the safety and protection of its personnel.

Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, denied Taliban involvement and told AFP that such threats are considered “criminal acts” and that police would take action.

UNAMA also said that Taliban authorities had launched an investigation into the matter following the reports.

In 2022, the Taliban banned women from working with both domestic and international NGOs and extended the prohibition to UN offices the following year.

These judges have been involved in investigations related to Afghanistan and Palestine.

The UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, also criticised the US decision.

On Friday, the US State Department announced sanctions against the four ICC judges, citing their role in authorising an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and approving investigations into alleged war crimes committed by US forces in Afghanistan.

Türk condemned the move, stating that sanctioning judges for performing their judicial duties undermines justice and the rule of law. “Attacks against judges for performance of their judicial functions, at national or international levels, run directly counter to respect for the rule of law and the equal protection of the law,” he said, urging an immediate reversal of the sanctions.

Bennett echoed Türk’s concerns, stating: “I join Volker Türk in his deep concern and his call for the prompt reconsideration and withdrawal of the US sanctions against four women judges at the ICC who had been part of rulings on the situation in Afghanistan and Palestine.”

The ICC has also criticised the US sanctions, describing them as an attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution.

Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, the ICC narrowed the scope of its investigation into alleged war crimes by US forces and shifted its focus towards crimes committed by the Taliban and the former Afghan government.

In addition to the Afghanistan case, the ICC last November issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Gaza conflict.