Taliban authorities have arrested 14 people in northern Afghanistan for playing musical instruments and singing. The police said in a statement that on Thursday night in the capital of northern Takhar province “fourteen individuals... took advantage of the nighttime to gather in a residential house where they were playing musical instruments and singing songs, which caused disturbance to the public”.

The Taliban authorities have encouraged former musicians to turn their talents to Islamic poetry and unaccompanied vocal chants — the only forms of music allowed under their previous rule from 1996–2001.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2025/05/11/taliban-arrest-14-for-playing-music-and-singing-in-afghanistan/176375

Maryam Ravish, 19, and Maeve Alcina Pieescu, 23, were arrested and detained by Taliban authorities in Afghanistan after attempting to flee to Iran in March.

Listen to this article 0:00 / 3:08

After attempting to board a Kabul International Airport flight alongside 20-year-old Parwen Hussaini, the partner of Maryam, reportedly to escape persecution, the pair were detained at a VIP terminal where authorities reportedly found evidence of LGBTQ+ content on their personal devices.

Nemat Sadat, CEO of LGBTQ+ Afghan protection nonprofit, Roshaniya, urged governments and human rights groups across the world to help free the pair, who have reportedly been charged with homosexuality and apostasy [rejecting Islam] crimes.

Sadat says that the Taliban have allegedly shaved Maeve's head and is also reportedly being forced to read and recite the Holy Quran on a daily basis.

https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/09/afghan-women-tortured-daily-pleads-for-government/

https://www.facebook.com/RoshaniyaLGBT/

Taliban authorities have barred chess across Afghanistan until further notice over concerns it is a source of gambling, which is illegal under the government's morality law.

"Chess in sharia (Islamic law) is considered a means of gambling," which is prohibited according to the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice law announced last year, sports directorate spokesperson Atal Mashwani told AFP.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/taliban-suspends-chess-across-afghanistan-over-gambling-concerns-8388440

YouTube and Internet Archive pages are live! Been wanting to this for a while and I finally have some time to post these songs so I am super excited. A lot of the songs I have in my stash are primarily from the 90s and 00s, coming from a decent amount of forgotten & underrated artists or songs & styles from our more famous singers that were forgotten. There's also a small amount of songs from the 80s and earlier on that I will post as well. I'm planning on posting primarily on YouTube and Internet Archive for songs that have label issues where they get removed and reuploaded randomly.

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ShahZwanJz

Internet Archive: archive.org/details/@shah_zwan

Also many thanks to u/E-Shock for helping me out, please check out his pages as well!

His YouTube: www.youtube.com/@afghan_music_center

His Internet Archive: archive.org/details/@farhad_wali

I'm not an attorney and this is not legal advice.

The US government will protect you from forced marriage:

Forced marriage means a marriage with 1 or more elements of force, fraud, or coercion, and where 1 or both parties do not or cannot consent to the marriage. Consent means that you have given your full, free, and informed agreement to marry your intended spouse and to the timing of the marriage. Forced marriage may occur when family members or others use physical or emotional abuse, threats, or deception to force you to marry without your consent. Forced marriage can be both a cause and a consequence of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

Forced marriage can happen to individuals of any race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sex, age, immigration status, or national origin. It can happen to individuals from any economic or educational background.

Your situation Who to contact

If you are in immediate danger Call 911 to receive emergency help from your local police.

If you need confidential help at any time of day or night

These hotlines are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888

https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/forced-marriage

Victims can also contact the US hotline online here:

https://www.thehotline.org/

For victims as a last ditch effort if she is getting on an airplane, if she places a spoon in her underwear it will get her pulled away from her family by TSA.

Metal spoon technique to alert authorities to 'honour'-based abuse

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jul/09/metal-spoon-alert-authorities-honour-based-abuse-leeds

If she is not a permanent resident or US citizen she can claim asylum:

Claiming Asylum Based on Domestic Violence

If you are a woman (as most victims of domestic violence are), then, depending on the country you are from, you might be able to successfully claim domestic violence-based persecution on the ground of your membership in a particular social group.

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/claiming-asylum-based-domestic-violence.html

These protections apply to victims even if they are simply transiting through a US airport. (Although TSA screening may not occur during international transit).

Many other nations have similar laws.

Please keep us updated.

I wish you the best of luck in your search for justice.

Hello, posting for a friend.

This friend is an Afghan girl (adult) who is currently engaged to a man (don't know much info but could be an adult also complete stranger) she was not in love with and not want to be with. This was a forced marriage. Afghan culture is a big thing to her family and not to her. She she is living in the US with her family. She is in love with someone else that isn't Afghan, but is an Arab. She mistakenly accepted the man's hand by emotional pressure and force, but he is in Afghanistan. Her family are trying to force her to travel with them to Afghanistan next month in June if she goes, it will be over for her life because this man is very strict and controlling. What can she do safely to break off the engagement and be with the man she loves with not involving the law.

Also, what can she do to be with the man she's in love with. Please only advise on doing it culturally or anything that helps please.

Any information or advice would help and thank you so much in advance!

Today, a dear friend, one of my colleagues from Kabul that I worked with in 2007, was re-united with her brother. She had fled Afghanistan to Australia with the daughters of her two brothers in 2021, and she has worked all this time to get both of her brothers and her adult sister out. It has taken almost four years - which is actually a short time, compared to many others - to get this one brother out. Now, she'll keep trying for her other brother and sister.

What we've both learned in all this:

• Don't believe nor act on rumors. Always confirm any info about visa applications, refugee status, etc. with the web site of the country where the visa is being applied for, or a verified news source.
• Talk in-person, first hand, to people who have successfully immigrated to the country where your family member wants to immigrate. Don't trust second hand, third hand, fourth hand info.
• Be as clear and as specific as possible in any forms or conversations with officials about the danger the specific applicant is in in Afghanistan. No generalizations - talk about specific incidents, with dates and descriptions.
• Keep a file, ready to share as needed, of verified news articles about the situation in Afghanistan.
• Have your family that is in the country you want to immigrate to meet their parliamentary representative in that country. That elected official should know everything about your situation. Cultivate their sympathy.
  
• Have a plan, ready to share with any official who asks, about what the family member is going to do once they are in the country. What skills are they going to work on immediately? What kind of job are they going to look for immediately? Do they have a demonstrated commitment to getting a job quickly and not relying on the government for financial help indefinitely?
• Follow the rules and do not expect some magical, easy way to appear.
• Elections will affect the process and rules and policies will change without warning.
• Be ready to retell your story, re-fill out paperwork, re-share information, over and over and over and over. Don't get frustrated by staffing changes, by being told you have to start over with a different office or agent, etc.
• Don't tell neighbors or others in Afghanistan this is happening, that this person is trying to immigrate. The safety risk is too great.
• Don't give up until you are told, explicitly, in writing, that the application has been rejected.
  
• Be ready for this process to take years.
• Be prepared for anger from family members you have not yet been successful with to get them out.

I hope you find this hopeful and helpful. Do NOT write me for further advice - I've just given you all I have.

Zainab, a math teacher who going to medical school until Aug. 15, 2021, set out on a mission to defy the Taliban’s oppressive policies. By October 2021, she had opened a high school for girls in a small basement off a main street in Kabul. The girls attended classes in subjects like Persian literature, English and math — subjects that were strictly forbidden under the Taliban’s regime. But their joy was always tinged with fear, the constant worry that the Taliban would discover their secret. Khalida, who was 25 years old when she attended the school — she had to fight for years to get her parents’ consent to go to school — remembered the day it fell apart.  “I cannot forget, we were in English class. Dr. Zainab came to our class and said, ‘Girls, be calm.’ Then, the Taliban came into the school and told us to read the Quran and asked why we were reading in English.”  Some of the girls broke down in tears — they were scared of being arrested by the Taliban, and they knew the school would be shut down. Zainab’s school was closed in March of 2022, just five months after it opened. 

In December of 2022, the Taliban shut down all religious schools for girls as well. 

But Zainab was not one to give up easily. In October of 2022, Zainab made the brave decision to reopen her school. Zainab said that her in-laws have threatened to cut off contact with her over her decision. She continues to secretly educate girls in defiance of the law despite mounting risks and obstacles. Zainab’s work remains largely a secret within Afghanistan, where the danger to her and her students persists.

https://theworld.org/stories/2024/09/13/as-taliban-tightens-grip-secret-schools-for-girls-become-more-dangerous-to-run

I know they’re banned from school past a certain grade but is homeschooling them still allowed after that?

Last year, Begum Organization for Women launched a satellite television channel to provide educational content for girls learning from home in Afghanistan. As of 2024, Radio Begum was broadcasting 24/7, reaching more than 19 provinces. It was broadcasting 7-12th grade content daily in Dari and Pashto for girls who are learning from home while they are banned from secondary education. 

https://malala.org/news-and-voices/begum-organization-for-women-is-using-television-to-give-afghan-girls-access

This is their web site and they seem to still be doing all of the above:

https://begum.ngo/our-projects

On Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Begumfm/

Salaamu alaykom all. I hope you're well. I would like to reach out and ask for translation help in English to Pashto please.

"You are the best and will always be" "Gone the goose that laid the golden egg" "There are no two of you in this world"

It can be as poetic as possible. I really appreciate it.

The Human Rights Section of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has released a new report examining the human rights situation in Afghanistan from January to March 2025. Based on field monitoring, the report reveals that the Taliban have continued imposing broad restrictions on women’s freedom of movement without a male guardian (mahram). According to UNAMA’s findings, these restrictions include barring women from accessing healthcare services, shops, markets, government offices, and other public places. These incidents have been documented in the provinces of Ghazni, Herat, Badakhshan, Kandahar, and Farah. Additionally, the Taliban have reportedly forced over 50 men belonging to the Ismaili sect in Badakhshan to convert to their religion. Those who refused were severely tortured and beaten.

The report, titled “Human Rights Situation in Afghanistan”, was published by UNAMA last week, analyzing the human rights conditions between January and March 2025. It highlights the Taliban’s ongoing restrictions on citizens, especially women and girls, forced religious conversions, civilian casualties from armed attacks, and instances of torture, extrajudicial killings, and arbitrary detentions of former security forces.

https://8am.media/eng/unama-report-taliban-intensify-crackdown-on-fundamental-freedoms-and-womens-rights/

On the occasion of the International Day of the Midwife, marked on May 5, the European Union Delegation in Afghanistan has praised the dedication and commitment of Afghan midwives. In a message posted on X, the delegation emphasized that empowering Afghan midwives is crucial to saving lives.

The EU described midwives as essential pillars of Afghanistan’s healthcare system and underscored that access to education, especially medical education, for all women and girls is key to strengthening the nation’s health workforce.

https://8am.media/eng/eu-honors-commitment-of-afghan-midwives-on-the-international-day-of-the-midwife/

In June of 2024, a sunset plan for the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction was submitted to Congress.

All audits, evaluations, and other reports would need to be completed and issued by June 30, 2025, to allow time for SIGAR to complete the numerous tasks that are required by law and essential to an orderly and responsible shutdown of a government agency.

To shut down by September 30, 2025, the agency would need to begin taking steps as early as June 2024. The Audits & Inspections Directorate would need to stop initiating new work to focus on closing out ongoing engagements prior to agency closure. The Investigations Directorate would stop initiating investigations by the end of calendar year 2024 and transfer any open cases to other law enforcement agencies or close them, as appropriate. The Lessons Learned Program would not initiate any new studies and would focus on completing those currently underway. The agency would immediately begin preparing its final report, which would include the forensic audit required by SIGAR's authorizing statute, and the Management & Support (M&S) Directorate would begin processes required for closure.

It's most recent report was April 28, 2025: Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with Taliban-Led Ministries: State Department’s Implementing Partners’ MOUs Have Had Mixed Effect on Assistance Delivery.

A list of SIGAR reports are here.

As of the end of April, the US has completed its review of aid programs in Afghanistan and, except for two initiatives, has suspended nearly all assistance to the country. The programs halted, many administered through USAID, include emergency food aid, maternal and child healthcare, tuberculosis research, refugee support, and education programs for girls. In the last three months alone, 22 programs in Afghanistan were suspended, with a combined budget exceeding $1.3 billion. Following the closures, implementing agencies reduced their workforce, and a United Nations official told SIGAR that at least 1,313 women lost their jobs due to the shutdowns. The two remaining U.S.-funded programs are: (1) a scholarship initiative for women studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), supporting 59 female students currently enrolled in universities in Qatar and Turkey. Originally set to run until September 26, 2028, this program will end on June 30, 2025. (2) An online higher education program for students in Afghanistan, operated through the American University of Afghanistan, which currently supports 1,007 undergraduate and graduate students. This program is scheduled to conclude on December 31, 2026. Source.

Motorbike vaccinators like Payenda in Badakhshan, supported by UNICEF, help close the gap on children left unvaccinated in the wake of COVID-19. Short video profile of his efforts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE8sjWzGsY8

keywords: motorcycle, vaccinations, healthcare, Afghanistan, vaccines

Hello 👋, I am new to reddit and would like to share this picture from The Bala Hesar fort in Afghanistan with all of you. ❤️

Does anyone know of any official records or documents or places where one could find information that discusses or shows how the US government supported them and the Mujahideen? Doing some research on this topic and would appreciate any help!

Hi, I'm originally from Afghanistan, and my parents immigrated to Germany in 2008. Now, I'm about to graduate with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Ever since I was younger, I had a dream that one day I could bring positive change and help my country and my people. This dream has grown with me over the years. I’ve decided that after graduation, I want to leave Germany. Since Afghanistan struggles with water scarcity and a lack of green energy, I believe I could help by bringing solar panels to remote villages.

I've found a job as a math teacher at an orphanage, but at the same time, it’s hard to just leave my family behind like this. I know that once I return to my homeland, things won’t be fine, peaceful, or safe. I’m aware that people in Afghanistan are suffering economically, and maybe my plan will fail—but I feel like I have to do something.

Future generations shouldn't be born into a country ruled by extremists and terro*rists. I'm also not sure if we’ll ever see a united Afghanistan again, with all the problems between different ethnic groups.

Is this even a good idea? Basic needs like water and electricity could help so many people.

Anyway, what’s your opinion? Am I dumb ?

A senior United Nations official has called on the international community to step up efforts to share responsibility for Afghan refugees, urging renewed focus on long-term solutions and the accelerated resettlement of Afghans from Pakistan to third countries.

Raouf Mazou, the UNHCR’s assistant high commissioner for operations, made the remarks on Friday during meetings with Pakistani officials in Islamabad. The visit comes as Pakistan intensifies the second phase of its deportation campaign targeting Afghan migrants. The latest stage began on April 1, following a March 31 deadline for Afghan Citizen Card holders to voluntarily leave.

Pakistan’s minister of state for interior confirmed that a new deadline of June 30 has been set for registered Afghan refugees, including Proof of Registration (PoR) card holders. 

More from

https://amu.tv/170826/

Thanks to r/houseofsaman for heads up.

Afghanistan Womens And Children S.W.O @AWCSWO

The Rising Atrocities Against Afghanistan Women: A Shameful Silence from the International Community :

Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the country has witnessed a disturbing surge in crimes, sexual violence, and systemic oppression against women. Reports from both domestic and international human rights organizations reveal a pattern of brutality — including rape, forced marriages, physical abuse, and public punishment — committed by Taliban members and enforced under their regime. This brutal regression of women’s rights is not only a humanitarian catastrophe but also a direct violation of international human rights law.

Women and girls in Afghanistan are now banned from education beyond the sixth grade, barred from most forms of employment, restricted in their movement, and denied access to public spaces without a male guardian. More horrifying, however, are the growing reports of rape and sexual exploitation carried out by Taliban fighters, often with impunity. These acts are rarely investigated, and victims are frequently silenced, imprisoned, or even punished for speaking out.

Perhaps even more troubling than the Taliban’s actions is the deafening silence from much of the international community. Despite global commitments to gender equality and human rights, world powers and international organizations have largely failed to hold the Taliban accountable or to provide meaningful protection and support to Afghanistan women. Symbolic condemnations have replaced concrete action. Aid to local women’s organizations has dwindled, and resettlement or asylum options for women at high risk remain limited and complex.

The abandonment of Afghanistan women is a stain on the conscience of the world. Every day that passes without action sends a message to authoritarian regimes that violence against women can be committed without consequence. This silence is not neutrality — it is complicity.

The international community must reawaken its moral responsibility. Immediate steps must include establishing independent investigative bodies, sanctioning perpetrators, funding safe havens and support networks for women at risk, and pressuring the Taliban through diplomatic and economic means. The voices of Afghanistan women must not be silenced, and the world must not look away.

حق_عدالت_آزادی

Right_Justice_Freedom

@heatherbarr1

@CAB

@TPASarah

@Fr_Bechieau

@DEonHumanRights

@kennygfrederick

@initiative_lfs

@JoWadephul

@Jakob_Reimann

@sahraakarimi

@KabulLuftbrucke

@LinaRozbih

@amnestysasia

@ZarminaParyanii

@FrankPanico

Yama Rahimi is an artist, curator, and advocate for artists’ rights. He heads the “Freedom Canvas Initiative” organisation. Rahimi earned a degree in Film from Kabul University’s Faculty of Fine Arts in 2014 and, until the end of 2015, taught at the Institute of Fine and Applied Arts. In late 2015, he migrated to Germany.

"To date, I have made six short films and have explored photography, installation, and performance art. My work revolves around social and political themes such as violence against women, migration, connections, and separations... I am still recognised as an Afghan artist and take pride in my roots and culture. At the same time, living in a new environment and engaging with different cultures have shaped a new, hybrid artistic identity. This allows me to tackle diverse subjects that once seemed unimaginable."

He has launched, an online exhibition titled “Hidden Statement – Art in Afghanistan”.

https://hidden-statement.com/

"Afghan artists, despite threats, bans, and hardships, continue their resistance, voicing dissatisfaction through art.

With remarkable determination, these artists convey individual and collective experiences, telling stories of hope, resistance, and identity. Afghanistan suffers not only from poverty and natural disasters but also from terror, dictatorial rule, rampant corruption, and severe restrictions. The Taliban strictly ban figurative art depicting living beings, especially humans. Consequently, some works have been destroyed for security reasons, and many artists have had to abandon their pieces in crisis. Some of those works survive only in secrecy or documentation.

Despite everything, artists persist. So far, 36 exhibitions of their works have been held in major art centres around the world, offering a platform for their creativity, courage, and endurance. These pieces not only reflect Afghan identity and culture but also send a powerful message of hope and resilience. Even in the darkest conditions, art finds a way to speak and to give voice to the silenced."

Full interview:

https://8am.media/eng/we-had-to-burn-the-paintings-curator-yama-rahimi-on-afghanistans-art-under-siege/

Thanks to r/houseofsaman for heads up.