Afghan Witness

Collecting, preserving and verifying information on human rights and security. Promoting information integrity. Protecting online participation through digital resilience.

Highlights

Featured

Nov 18

Land clearance in Kabul

Officially framed as infrastructure development, the demolition campaign forces vulnerable populations out, erasing informal settlements and impacting minority neighbourhoods.

Syria Taliban

Dec 20

Taliban mark Assad’s fall with rallies, sweets, and solidarity messages

Taliban emphasize Syrian ‘victory’ as a milestone for the Muslim ummah amid internal differences.

Education Women's rights Education ban Protests Taliban Healthcare

Dec 20

Taliban ban women from medical studies, protests erupt across provinces

New Taliban ban ends women's medical education, raising alarm over future healthcare for Afghan women.

Security Violence Terrorism Pakistan Taliban ISKP

Dec 20

Taliban Minister Khalil Haqqani killed in ISKP-claimed suicide attack

Taliban blames “foreign countries” for aiding ISKP amid rumours of internal tensions.

Internal Discord Foreign relations Taliban

Dec 20

Taliban Supreme Leader reportedly orders ban on foreign organisations

Violence Public punishments Sharia Taliban

Dec 20

Taliban enforce first Hadd punishment with public flogging in Parwan

Information environment Media Terrorism Threats Security Social Media ISKP Propaganda

Dec 9

ISKP calls for “lone wolf” attacks in Khorasan

Information environment Education Media Women's rights Taliban Propaganda Children

Dec 9

Women and children’s radicalisation under the Taliban administration

Latest Articles

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Afghanistan Taliban

Nov 18

Documenting demolitions: the Taliban’s land clearance campaign and its impact on marginalised communities

Since assuming power in August 2021, the Taliban have initiated a number of infrastructure projects in Kabul. But forced evictions and demolitions have seen ethnic minorities and vulnerable communities bear the brunt.

Afghanistan OSINT

Sep 2

Afghanistan’s shrinking information environment

What is the information environment, and what challenges face Afghanistan’s own information space? How can we strengthen it?

Women's rights Gender-based violence Afghanistan Taliban

Aug 14

Afghan Witness report reveals ‘daily occurrence’ of gender-based violence under Taliban rule as women suffer ‘systematic erasure’ from public life

Three years on from the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, women are banned from education, work and most other areas of public life.

Women's rights Afghanistan Taliban

Apr 21

Rising reports of femicide: new digital map documents cases of violence and repression of Afghan women in ‘public’ roles

Female-led newsroom Zan Times used investigative reporting and open source techniques to document killings, disappearances and arrests of Afghan women.

The Afghan Witness Map

Verified information is stored in a database and represented on the Afghan Witness Map with one simple goal: to provide the world with timely and reliable information concerning ongoing events in Afghanistan.

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The interactive Afghan Witness Map is a powerful tool for visualizing verified human rights abuses and security threats across Afghanistan.

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In the Press

In Afghanistan, Women Haven’t Given Up - Despite jail, torture, and death threats, activists are resisting the Taliban in the country and abroad

The Walrus, 10 December 2024

‘My whole body was praying for my death’: LGBTQ Afghans say they face abuse in detention as Taliban crackdown intensifies

CNN, 19 November 2024

Revealed: the truth behind the Taliban’s brutal Kabul ‘regeneration’ programme

The Guardian, 18 November 2024

Hundreds of cases of femicide recorded in Afghanistan since Taliban takeover are ‘tip of the iceberg’

The Guardian, 15 August 2024

How the Taliban took over Afghanistan's mines

Financial Times, 26 June 2024

How the Taliban took over Afghanistan’s mines

The Financial Times, 26 June 2024

I went to secret schools during the first Taliban rule - how many more years will Afghan girls lose?

Euronews, 12 April 2024

Public executions and torture: ‘The Taliban have reverted to their true nature’

France 24 The Observers, 4 April 2024

Taliban carry out hundreds of floggings as grip tightens on Afghanistan

Financial Times, 30 November 2023

Online abuse of politically active Afghan women tripled after Taliban takeover, rights group reports

Associated Press, 20 November 2023

Women beheaded and bodies dumped in rivers under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, report says

Independent, 15 August 2023

No one feels safe': The Taliban promised to provide security to Afghans. New data shows threat from ISIS is growing

CNN, 19 May 2023

We aim to strengthen the information landscape and provide a reliable source of information for international organisations, policymakers and the media, and to raise awareness of the reality of everyday life for Afghans living in the country.

About Afghan Witness

Highlights

Land clearance in Kabul

Taliban mark Assad’s fall with rallies, sweets, and solidarity messages

Taliban ban women from medical studies, protests erupt across provinces

Taliban Minister Khalil Haqqani killed in ISKP-claimed suicide attack

Taliban Supreme Leader reportedly orders ban on foreign organisations

Taliban enforce first Hadd punishment with public flogging in Parwan

ISKP calls for “lone wolf” attacks in Khorasan

Women and children’s radicalisation under the Taliban administration

Latest Articles

Documenting demolitions: the Taliban’s land clearance campaign and its impact on marginalised communities

Afghanistan’s shrinking information environment

Afghan Witness report reveals ‘daily occurrence’ of gender-based violence under Taliban rule as women suffer ‘systematic erasure’ from public life

Rising reports of femicide: new digital map documents cases of violence and repression of Afghan women in ‘public’ roles

The Afghan Witness Map

View the Map

How to Use Our Map

In the Press

In Afghanistan, Women Haven’t Given Up - Despite jail, torture, and death threats, activists are resisting the Taliban in the country and abroad

‘My whole body was praying for my death’: LGBTQ Afghans say they face abuse in detention as Taliban crackdown intensifies

Revealed: the truth behind the Taliban’s brutal Kabul ‘regeneration’ programme

Hundreds of cases of femicide recorded in Afghanistan since Taliban takeover are ‘tip of the iceberg’

How the Taliban took over Afghanistan's mines

How the Taliban took over Afghanistan’s mines

I went to secret schools during the first Taliban rule - how many more years will Afghan girls lose?

Public executions and torture: ‘The Taliban have reverted to their true nature’

Taliban carry out hundreds of floggings as grip tightens on Afghanistan

Online abuse of politically active Afghan women tripled after Taliban takeover, rights group reports

Women beheaded and bodies dumped in rivers under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, report says

No one feels safe': The Taliban promised to provide security to Afghans. New data shows threat from ISIS is growing

We aim to strengthen the information landscape and provide a reliable source of information for international organisations, policymakers and the media, and to raise awareness of the reality of everyday life for Afghans living in the country.

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