Hekmatyar Travels To Malaysia For Medical Treatment, Say Sources

In a statement on Monday, CPJ said Taliban authorities are currently holding at least two Afghan journalists: Mahdi Ansary,and Hamid Farhadi, on charges of working with exile-based media outlets after the Taliban seized power in 2021.

CPJ said that since August 2021, press freedom in Afghanistan has “drastically deteriorated,” with journalists facing arbitrary arrest, prolonged detention, assaults, threats, and censorship. The organisation also highlighted restrictive measures imposed on women journalists, internet shutdowns, and the closure of dozens of media outlets.

“These actions constitute clear violations of the fundamental right to freedom of expression and contradict public statements made by Taliban representatives,” CPJ said.

The group referenced a pledge made by Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on 17 August 2021, days after the fall of Kabul, in which he said private media would remain “free and independent.” CPJ said the Taliban should now “deliver on its pledges.”

The organisation urged the Taliban to use Human Rights Day to take “meaningful steps” by releasing all journalists in custody and ensuring they can return to their families and work safely, without fear of reprisal.

According to CPJ, more than 1,500 journalists from over 100 countries endorsed the call for the release of jailed journalists during a solidarity action at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Malaysia this year.

“The continued imprisonment and harassment of journalists in Afghanistan undermines any claim of moderation or respect for human rights,” CPJ said, urging the Taliban to reverse course and take “concrete steps toward genuine press freedom.”

According to information published on the ministry’s website, the oil was sold to a domestic company.

The ministry had earlier announced on 28 November that 10,000 tonnes of crude extracted from the Angot field in the Amu Darya basin were sold for more than $4.5 million.

The Amu Darya basin is considered one of the largest oil and gas regions in northern Afghanistan. International assessments estimate that it may contain about 962 million barrels of extractable crude oil and 52 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

As part of the annual “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” campaign, the agency says a safe digital environment is essential for women’s participation in agriculture, livelihoods and a sustainable food system.

Kobra Hosseini, a gender specialist at the FAO office in Afghanistan, said digital violence was not merely an online threat but a barrier preventing Afghan women from accessing education, markets and their future.

Benazir Yakta, head of a dried-fruit company in Kabul, said rural women and girls lose essential opportunities for empowerment and economic sustainability when they lack access to safe digital information and training.

This year’s global campaign focuses on combating digital violence against women. The United Nations has warned that digital abuse is rising at an alarming rate. World Bank data shows that about 40 percent of countries have no laws protecting women from cyber harassment or cyberstalking.

As a result, roughly 44 percent of women, around 1.8 billion people, remain without legal protection.

Speaking at the Third International North–South Transport Corridor Forum in Russia, he said the Taliban is “working actively” with Iran and India on the Chabahar route.

He added that the Taliban’s commerce minister discussed Chabahar during a recent meeting with Iranian officials.

The Taliban envoy in Moscow said the group wants to shift trade routes that previously passed through other countries toward Chabahar.

After border clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistan, Islamabad closed the Torkham and Chaman crossings last month.

The closure of the crossings and the suspension of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan prompted the Taliban to expand commercial engagement with other neighbouring countries.

The court said the individuals received between 10 and 39 lashes and prison sentences ranging from one to seven years.

In a statement issued on Sunday, 7 December, the Supreme Court said the punishments were carried out by the primary court in Khost. The Taliban did not release details about the identities of those punished or the judicial process behind the rulings.

The Taliban continue to arrest people almost daily on various charges and subject them to public corporal punishment. The group describes public floggings and executions as the enforcement of Sharia law.

Over the past four years, hundreds of people have been flogged in public and at least eleven individuals have been executed. The most recent execution was carried out five days ago at Khost city stadium, where the Taliban said about 80,000 people gathered to witness it.