The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the Taliban to release university professor Ismail Mashal, drop any charges against him, and end their campaign of repression against women and girls’ participation in public life.
An Afghan journalist, who had fled to Pakistan due to the fear of the Taliban’s reprisal, has announced that he wants to sell his kidney as he is facing economic problems. Sami Jahesh wrote on Twitter, "I'm out of money. We have no bread to eat..I want to sell my kidney."
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that assisting displaced and local female-headed households has become a great challenge in Afghanistan. UNHCR stressed that the problem persists and has recently helped 24,000 people in southern provinces.
A group of US Republican lawmakers have warned about the purchase of verification indicators (tick marks) by the Taliban on the microblogging site, Twitter
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported that United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has asked its implementing partners not to enter into MoUs with Taliban.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announced on Monday that Morteza Behboudi, a French journalist from Afghanistan, was arrested by the Taliban in Kabul. RSF said that Behboudi had been detained by the Taliban on January 7, and imprisoned on the charge of "espionage".
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has urged the United Nations to ensure the safety and called for the release of the Afghan girl Elaha Delawarzai. AIHRC described Taliban's behaviour towards Delawarzai as "inhumane".
Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani, Qatar's special envoy for Afghanistan, said on Sunday that the Taliban cannot achieve peace and stability without a comprehensive political consensus. Qahtani discussed political inclusiveness with the Taliban foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi.
The Afghan Red Crescent Society announced that at least 175 people have died, and more than 80,000 livestock have been lost across Afghanistan due to the cold weather.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan, announced that he has stopped his Friday prayers sermons. Hekmatyar added that "the brothers' demand” is to stop the sermons for a while. However, he didn’t elaborate more on who demanded to end the sermons.
Tomas Niklasson, the European Union's Special Envoy for Afghanistan, said that they do not wish to isolate Afghanistan, however, recognition of the Taliban regime is not on the table.
Zamir Kabulov, the Russian special envoy for Afghanistan, said that the meeting of Secretaries of Security Councils of Central Asian countries, Pakistan, India, and China will be held in Moscow. According to Kabulov, in the meeting, the participants will discuss Afghanistan.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that the extreme cold weather in Afghanistan has put the lives of millions of people at risk. ICRC added that more humanitarian aid is needed to prevent the deterioration of the situation.
Habibullo Vohidzoda, the director of Tajikistan's drug control agency, said that after the Taliban’s return to power, drug trafficking has increased from Afghanistan. Vohidzoda said that in 2022, four tonnes and 165 kilograms of drugs have been confiscated by Tajik forces.
The Taliban's director of media oversight Abul Haq Hemad confirmed that the group has detained university professor, Ismail Mashal, and transferred him to “security agencies for investigation”. Hemad said that Mashal had been “provocative against the regime”.
Taliban reacted to the imposed restrictions on visas for the group’s members by the United States and called it an obstacle to improving relations with the US. The Taliban's foreign ministry said that sanctions and pressure don’t resolve differences.
Sources told Afghanistan International that Ismail Mashal, a university professor, has been detained by the Taliban. Mashal has been a critic of the ban on girls' education by Taliban, and recently he tore up his educational certificates as a protest against the Taliban’s move.
The Taliban’s Supreme Court announced that 16 people have been flogged in Helmand province. According to the Taliban Supreme Court, these people were publicly flogged on Thursday in Gereshk district of Helmand province.
Pakistan's Permanent Representative in the United Nations, Munir Akram, said that the Taliban's ban on women's education and work in Afghanistan is not a religious issue and is rooted in Pashtun culture.
The US Department of State announced visa restrictions on current and former Taliban officials in response to the ban on education and work of Afghan girls and women. According to the State Department, the restrictions have been imposed to make Taliban leaders accountable.
Two days after the explosion in Peshawar city of Pakistan, the foreign minister of the Taliban Amir Khan Muttaqi indirectly asked Pakistan not to run away from their problems. Muttaqi added that Islamabad should look after its problems inside Pakistan.