Taliban Denies Lawyer, Family Visits To Teacher Sentenced To Death In Paktika

Saif-ul-Islam Khyber, spokesperson for the ministry, said on Friday that staff and managers from several media production companies had been detained, and their offices shut down. Speaking to the Taliban-controlled national broadcaster, Khyber alleged that the dubbed films were sent to foreign networks and served as part of a systematic propaganda campaign against Islamic principles.

Earlier in the week, sources in Kabul told Afghanistan International that Taliban morality police had detained dozens of young women from the city’s Shahr-e Naw area. A relative of one of the detainees said around 100 women were arrested from streets, markets, and hospitals and transferred to facilities operated by the ministry.

A video obtained by Afghanistan International shows a group of frightened women surrounded by Taliban officers during the arrests.

The Taliban has not provided details on the legal basis for the arrests or whether the detainees had access to legal representation. The crackdown comes amid growing concerns over the group’s restrictions on media, women's rights, and freedom of expression.

A relative of one of the detainees said approximately 100 women were arrested from public areas, including streets, markets, and hospitals, and taken to detention facilities operated by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

Sources indicated that most of the women were fully observing the Islamic hijab at the time of their arrest.

Footage obtained by Afghanistan International shows several visibly distressed women surrounded by Taliban enforcers. In the video, one woman is heard pleading, “You’ve already deprived us of life, education, and going to school, what more do you want? Fear God!”

The Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue has not issued any statement explaining the reasons behind the mass detentions.

Reports suggest that some of the women were released after spending a night in custody, following the submission of written guarantees by their families.

A day earlier, Taliban enforcers reportedly raided multiple restaurants in the same neighbourhood and conducted inspections. According to witnesses, the group’s morality police regularly visit dining establishments to ensure men and women are not seated together and to enforce dress codes.

Eyewitnesses have also reported Taliban officials instructing women in various parts of Kabul to cover their faces in public.

The punishments were carried out in the Gosfandi district on Thursday, 17 July. The Supreme Court said the individuals received prison sentences ranging from six months to two years, in addition to corporal punishment administered in front of local officials, court staff, security forces, and members of the public.

The court stated that the floggings were implemented only after the verdicts were confirmed by the Taliban’s highest judicial authority. However, the statement did not provide any details regarding the legal proceedings or whether the accused had access to legal defence.

Despite ongoing calls from international human rights organisations to end public punishments and the use of corporal punishment, the Taliban continues to carry out public floggings. The group maintains that such actions are consistent with its interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

Lars Castellucci, the German Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance, told Afghanistan International that Berlin welcomes the ICC’s move. He stated that since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Afghan women and girls have been systematically stripped of their rights, a situation that, he said, must have consequences.

The ICC recently issued arrest warrants for Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the group’s chief justice. Both are accused of crimes against humanity linked to widespread rights abuses under Taliban rule.

Germany joins other Western nations in backing the ICC’s decision. Canada’s Foreign Ministry told Afghanistan International that it remains deeply concerned by ongoing human rights violations in Afghanistan, particularly those targeting women and girls. The ministry called on the Taliban to respect the rights of all Afghans.

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office also voiced support for the court’s action, saying that the United Kingdom stands with the people of Afghanistan and strongly opposes the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls.

The directive, issued by the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture, requires media outlets to obtain prior permission to record or broadcast political programmes and to seek approval for analysts invited to participate in such content. A copy of the four-page memorandum, titled “Policy for Holding Political Programmes (Roundtables) in Afghanistan,” has been obtained by Afghanistan International.

According to the document, all political programmes must be submitted to the ministry before airing, and participating analysts must be vetted and issued an official identification card by the Taliban. The ministry has instructed that all political content must align with the policies of the the Taliban and has warned that any programme perceived to undermine the government, “national unity,” or “Islamic values” could result in severe penalties, including the revocation of broadcasting licences.

Media outlets have also been directed to criticise Taliban officials only “in respectful language and within the framework of the law,” a clause widely seen as another tool to suppress dissent.

The directive marks a significant escalation in the Taliban’s efforts to control the flow of information in Afghanistan since their return to power in August 2021. Under Taliban rule, media freedom has sharply declined, with numerous outlets forced to shut down and thousands of journalists either fleeing the country or facing imprisonment.

According to the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Afghanistan now ranks 175th out of 180 countries, with a score of just 17.88. The organisation reports that 141 journalists have been arrested or imprisoned since the Taliban’s return, with many subjected to intimidation, beatings, and torture, primarily at the hands of Taliban intelligence services.

One journalist told RSF that he believed he would die in custody, describing how Taliban forces tortured him “for their own amusement.”

Criticism of the Taliban’s leadership or policies has consistently been met with harsh retaliation. Observers say this latest media policy represents a systematic attempt to eliminate political discourse and silence dissenting voices in Afghan media.

In addition to editorial restrictions, the Taliban have also imposed content bans under their “Promotion of Virtue” law. In some provinces, including Kandahar and Takhar, the broadcasting of images of living beings has been banned, forcing visual media outlets to effectively operate as radio stations.