Female Ismaili Entrepreneur Shot Dead In Badakhshan

Participants in the conference, titled Afghanistan 2026: Humanitarian Emergency and Political Solution, are examining the human rights situation in Afghanistan, particularly the worsening conditions for women.

At the opening, Léa Balage El Mariky, a member of the French parliament and vice-president of the France-Afghanistan friendship group, was present. For the first time, Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur addressed members of the foreign affairs committee and the France-Afghanistan friendship group in person.

Rahmatullah Nabil, Afghanistan’s former head of the National Directorate of Security, and several women’s rights activists also attended the meeting.

During the first session, participants proposed establishing a parliamentary working group on Afghanistan, involving French MPs and the UN special rapporteur. They also stressed the continuation of humanitarian visas for women, human rights activists, civil society members and journalists.

The conference, organised by the Afghanistan Children’s Association and the Afghanistan Peace Dialogue Movement, will continue Thursday, May 7, at the French foreign ministry and later at Paris City Hall.

The meeting comes as Taliban decrees have severely restricted the lives of Afghan women. One of the major concerns is the enforcement of the Taliban’s courts penal code, issued under Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada in January.

Observers say the 113-article code institutionalises systematic gender discrimination and formalises punishments such as stoning and public executions.

At the same time, Afghanistan faces a severe political and economic crisis. Five years of international isolation have deepened the humanitarian disaster, with at least 23 million people now in need of urgent aid, according to United Nationsreports.

The organisation said in a statement on Wednesday, May 6, that it had received information indicating the Taliban obtain forced confessions from journalists during detention.

It condemned the practice, stressing that such confessions have no legal or ethical validity.

Following reports of Ghafori’s arrest, the Taliban released him a day later. At the same time, a video of him was circulated which appeared to have been recorded under pressure and coercion.

In the video, he says he did not approach security institutions because of his media work but had gone to the police command and court to pursue a legal matter.

Taliban officials have not yet issued any formal statement on the reasons for his detention or release.

The Afghanistan Media Support Organization had previously said no clear legal basis or court order had been provided for Ghafouri’s arrest.

In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, the Taliban morality ministry spokesperson described reports linking its agents to the abuse of women as “baseless”.

Khybar said there was no credible evidence connecting the woman seen in the video to the institution or confirming that she was an official employee. However, the spokesperson did not clarify whether she may have been working informally with the ministry.

The Taliban described the incident as a personal and family dispute, saying it resulted from internal disagreements within the family.

The ministry also claimed that a relative of the assaulted woman had confirmed the incident was a private matter, though it provided no evidence to support the assertion.

Earlier, at least five sources in Kabul told Afghanistan International that Taliban morality police had detained several women in the city for allegedly failing to wear face veils or comply with the group’s dress code.

Male inspectors from the ministry are commonly seen in Afghan cities wearing white clothing and turbans. The Taliban have not officially confirmed whether women work within the ministry.

However, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported last year that female morality inspectors were operating in Pul-e-Khumri city of northern Baghlan province.

According to the UN mission, the Taliban have also informally paid women in Kandahar and Nangarhar provinces to monitor compliance with morality laws.

There have also been reports of female inspectors operating in Parwan province.

In a post on X, she said such a process could reinforce rather than weaken the Taliban.

She argued that if European countries return young Afghan men to Afghanistan amid severe poverty and widespread despair, they may be forced to join Taliban structures to survive, securing basic needs such as food and shelter.

According to Neumann, these structures may include Taliban-linked networks or religious schools that in some areas provide not only education but also basic living support.

She added that authoritarian systems maintain power through violence, economic dependency, social control and enforced loyalty.

In her message addressed to Friedrich Merz, Chancellor of Germany, Neumann warned that any coordinated return of Afghan migrants could increase the Taliban’s power while also contributing to the group’s normalisation and international legitimacy.

She concluded that such policies would not improve security in Afghanistan but would instead strengthen extremist and governing structures linked to the Taliban.

The Taliban Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said on Wednesday that the meeting addressed unfulfilled commitments in the Aynak contract. According to the ministry, the Chinese side pledged to carry out remaining obligations under the agreement.

However, China continues to act cautiously and has delayed practical progress on the project, with little tangible advancement in recent years despite repeated assurances.

Security concerns and attacks targeting Chinese nationals in Afghanistan appear to be key factors behind this caution. In January, a suicide attacker detonated explosives at a restaurant frequented by Chinese nationals in Kabul, killing several people, including one Chinese citizen.

Following the attack, China advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Afghanistan. A report by Foreign Policy also highlighted the Taliban’s inability to guarantee the safety of Chinese workers.

According to the report, between November 2024 and February 2026, Chinese nationals were targeted in at least seven incidents near the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, leaving at least nine dead and 10 others injured.

Nearly 18 years have passed since the $2.9 billion Aynak copper contract was signed between Afghanistan’s former government and China’s Metallurgical Corporation of China. The project was halted after the discovery of archaeological remains, with extraction postponed pending their preservation and relocation.

The Taliban now prioritise mining as part of their economic strategy, citing limited financial resources, and have repeatedly expressed frustration over delays at Aynak copper mine.

Earlier reports indicated that the Chinese company had also proposed plans to protect the site’s historical artefacts alongside extraction. However, the project remains suspended and uncertain.

Since returning to power, the Taliban have repeatedly stressed the need to begin and accelerate work at Aynak, but China’s reluctance to move forward appears to remain a major obstacle, fuelling frustration in Kabul.