Taliban Ban Media Criticism With New Directive, Tighten Control Over Political Programming

The group identified the prisoner as Ghorban Zainolnouri, a resident of Isfahan who was arrested at his workplace three years ago and later sentenced to death. According to the organisation, Zainolnouri was hanged alongside an Iranian inmate on Wednesday, 26 June, at Isfahan Central Prison.

In its statement, the rights group noted that Iranian law does not differentiate among categories of intentional homicide, allowing courts to impose the death penalty without considering the circumstances or motive of the crime.

Iranian officials and state media have not confirmed the executions. Human-rights monitors say at least six Afghan prisoners have been put to death in various Iranian prisons over the past week, and more than 80 were executed last year.

In a statement dated 27 June, Hengaw identified two of the men as Pasha and Ahmad; the surname of each and the name of the third prisoner were not known. All three were Afghan citizens, the group said.

The executions were carried out on Wednesday, 25 June, according to Hengaw. Iranian state media and judicial authorities have not confirmed the deaths.

Rights organisations operating outside Iran have long accused the Islamic Republic of stepping up executions of Afghan inmates since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021. More than 80 Afghan prisoners were put to death in Iran last year, according to figures compiled by exile groups.

Speaking on Wednesday, June 25, at a gathering of officials and families of Taliban fighters in Kapisa province, Haqqani said it was possible that certain Taliban members had acted independently and violated others’ rights. He stressed that such actions were not sanctioned by the Taliban leadership and that those responsible would be held accountable before God.

Haqqani described the Taliban's rule as a divine test and urged officials to serve with humility and integrity, warning that misconduct could damage the regime's reputation. He asserted that the Taliban government embodies “religion, Sharia, and the martyrs,” and emphasised that the preservation of the regime and service to the people are sacred responsibilities.

The Taliban announced a general amnesty following its return to power in August 2021. However, the United Nations and human rights organisations have consistently reported that former members of the security forces and government have been subjected to arbitrary detention, torture and extrajudicial killings under Taliban rule.

Haqqani has called on Taliban members to remember the hardships of war and to act in a manner that reflects the values for which they fought, reinforcing that their conduct should support the strength and stability of the regime.

The report, released Wednesday, is based on interviews with 34 former detainees including seven women who were held between August 2021 and January 2025. Of those interviewed, 33 said they were detained without legal warrants, formal charges or access to fair trial procedures. Most had been held by Taliban intelligence operatives.

Rawadari’s findings indicate that torture was used not only as a tool for extracting forced confessions but also to suppress dissent, punish former government employees and intimidate critics of the Taliban. The group reported that detainees were subjected to beatings, electric shocks, sexual harassment, prolonged solitary confinement, food deprivation, and denial of medical care. Some were held in secret or private detention facilities with no access to legal counsel or judicial review.

According to the report, several individuals said they were transported to detention centres with black bags over their heads, often in the trunks of private vehicles. Fifteen detainees described this treatment as a deliberate attempt to degrade and humiliate. Twenty-seven said they had no access to a defence lawyer during proceedings, and in 24 cases, particularly those involving Taliban intelligence, the detainees said their cases were never brought before a court.

Rawadari noted that in some instances, Taliban intelligence agents tortured prisoners for entertainment, and harassment of some individuals continued even after their release. The report drew on testimony from individuals across 16 provinces who had spent anywhere from two hours to three years in custody.

The organisation stressed that there are currently no independent institutions inside Afghanistan capable of monitoring detention conditions or investigating abuses. It called on the international community to apply coordinated pressure on the Taliban to comply with international human rights obligations, especially the Convention Against Torture.

The Taliban have not commented on the report. The group has previously denied systematic abuse in its detention practices, claiming that prisoners are treated according to Islamic and Afghan law.

The report was delivered to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) during a session attended by Afghanistan’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, human-rights organisations and members of the committee.

Fawzia Koofi, a former deputy speaker of Afghanistan’s parliament and one of the delegates, told Afghanistan International the report assesses women’s political participation, access to education and healthcare, and other basic rights. She said the document was reviewed in detail and will now be circulated to CEDAW states parties for comment.

Koofi urged Germany, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands to accelerate efforts to refer the Taliban to the International Court of Justice, warning that the human-rights situation is deteriorating. The four governments have signalled they will file a case unless conditions for Afghan women improve.

Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, women have been barred from most public, educational, political and economic spheres, measures Koofi said violate Articles 7 and 8 of CEDAW, which guarantee women’s full participation in public life.

Participants in Tuesday’s meeting voiced deep concern over ongoing, organised rights violations and called for coordinated international pressure on the Taliban to meet its treaty obligations.

Afghanistan acceded to CEDAW in 2003, committing to align domestic laws with the convention and to file periodic progress reports. The former Afghan government submitted reports in 2011 and 2019. With no internationally recognised government now in place, a coalition of women activists compiled and presented this year’s assessment on Afghanistan’s behalf.