DISINFO: Western press unfairly denigrates Taliban
SUMMARY
Squeezing out the Americans and coalition troops is only half the battle for the Taliban. The main war is ahead - the information war. Western press attacks Talibs by claiming that they hang, kill, and chop off people's hands. The people say the opposite, but who in the world hears it? It's all a lie. West only speaks, but there is no confirmation.
RESPONSE
Since taking power on 15 August 2021, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more tolerant than their global reputation suggests, but incidents of brutality and repression are still being reported in parts of Afghanistan.
Taliban fighters massacred nine ethnic Hazara men after taking control of the Ghazni Province in southeastern Afghanistan, Amnesty International (AI) reported. On-the-ground researchers spoke to eyewitnesses who gave harrowing accounts of the killings, which took place between 4-6 July in the village of Mundarakht in the Malistan District. At that, the Taliban have cut mobile phone service in many of the areas they have recently captured, controlling which photographs and videos are then shared from these regions, says AI.
Afghan families flee to Pakistan over forced marriage fears. Meanwhile, the Taliban has excluded girls from Afghan secondary schools, with only boys and male teachers allowed back into classrooms. The Taliban said it is working on a plan to allow girls to return to schools, but has not said when that could happen or what conditions may be imposed.
More than 220 female Afghan judges are in hiding due to fear of retribution under Taliban rule. Six former female judges spoke to the BBC from secret locations across Afghanistan.
Players from the Afghanistan women's volleyball team are hiding from the Taliban and one of the squad was killed for not following Sharia law, BBC reported in September 2021. Taliban denies the killing of Mahjabin Hakimi, an Afghan female volleyball player, but it destroyed the papers of the ongoing investigation.
A group of Afghan women urged the United Nations to block the Taliban from gaining a seat at the international body, calling for better representation for their country during a visit to the organisation's New York headquarters. "It's very simple," former Afghan politician and peace negotiator Fawzia Koofi told reporters. "The UN needs to give that seat to somebody who respects the rights of everyone in Afghanistan."
See more disinformation cases targeting the situation in Afghanistan.