Nimrokh: As Afghanistan’s new academic year gets underway with the ringing of school bells, nearly half of the country’s students are denied the right to education. Despite the significance of Hamal 03 (March 23) as Afghanistan’s Education Day, the Taliban marked the start of the new school year on Hamal 01 (March 21) with a male-only ceremony at Amani High School in Kabul. No female teacher or student was allowed to attend the ceremony.
Radio Liberty: At least 20 Afghan women marched in the capital, Kabul, on March 26 to demand the right to education for women and girls before being rounded up by a Taliban patrol. The demonstration comes amid UN and other international condemnation over ongoing strictures under the Taliban-led government to keep women and girls out of schools, jobs, media, and other aspects of life since the hard-line militant group took power after U.S.-led international forces left in 2021.
8am: Several journalists and media workers in Afghanistan have reported that they are facing increasing pressure from Taliban intelligence. They have stated that, due to arrests and threats of intimidation from the Taliban, journalists working for them have resorted to extreme self-censorship and have experienced mental health issues. Additionally, the majority of Afghan journalists are dealing with severe financial difficulties. Organizations that provide aid to journalists have corroborated the precarious situation of these journalists.
CNN: Young Afghan women gathered outside Kabul University on Monday to protest the ruling Taliban’s ban on female education as their male peers returned to school for a new academic year and the United Nations heard the restriction may amount to a crime against humanity. A video shared widely on social media shows a group of girls sitting on the ground outside Kabul University reading their books. CNN has not independently verified when the video was filmed.
8am: According to sources, an 18-year-old girl hung herself in the Kunduz province’s capital city. The incident occurred on Monday night in the Zakhil Qadim region of Kunduz city’s third district. According to local sources in Kunduz, the young girl took her own life as a result of being forced into marriage. Her family had reportedly arranged for her engagement to a boy without her consent.