Foreign journalists feel the pinch as Taliban tighten grip on Afghanistan

Since their return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have imposed a fundamentalist version of Islam. Foreign journalists, who have been tolerated by the regime, say it is becoming more difficult to report freely.

Seventy-year-old Hafiza poses for a portrait at her home in Afghanistan, August 2021. Kiana Hayeri for National Geographic

“Since the takeover, it’s been getting more and more difficult to report,” Kiana Hayeri told RFI while on a visit to Bayeux in Normandy earlier this month.

“So far, as foreigners we’ve been privileged compared to Afghan journalists, but it’s getting more difficult and it’s going to get worse”.

The Iranian-Canadian photojournalist has been based in Kabul for some time now, benefiting from her status as a foreigner.

Hayeri says her appearance, her double nationality and the fact that she speaks the language have been a blessing, particularly when visiting Herat women’s prison, in western Afghanistan.

“I was able to go in for 15 days. For the first few days I had somebody with me but then I was on my own. So definitely my identity has been a privilege but now, with the Taliban coming back into power, it’s actually a disadvantage."

She spent time with women who had been jailed for murdering their husbands, a theme all too common in a country where women are considered second-rate citizens, and have no legal recourse to challenge their husbands in cases of domestic violence.

What will happen now that the Taliban are cutting back on accreditation for journalists covering stories like these, she wonders.

Forgotten promises

Since the Taliban retook control in August 2021, renewing visas has become extremely difficult, especially for freelancers, Hayeri says. Her steady work for the New York Times has meant she can continue working, for now.

Hayeri was invited to display 25 of her photographs in large format outdoors around the town of Bayeux as part of the 2022 Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award for War Correspondents event in October.

It's an opportunity to show the public moments she spent with women and girls and reveal how they cope with the difficulties of everyday life, from access to education, health and work.

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Since the takeover, girls can no longer go to high school and, while women can still attend university in some areas, the future for girls is in jeopardy as they will not have the necessary qualifications to go on to higher education.

The title of Hayeri’s exhibition, "Promises written on the ice, left in the sun", sums up the dilemma faced by Afghan women.

The photographs on display in Bayeux were taken prior to the takeover. But the threat of violence, punishment and repression is never far away, especially as the Taliban reassert their power across the country.

Bridging the gap

Despite this, Hayeri says she deliberately tends to lean to the light, rather than the dark to highlight women’s resilience in the face of so much destruction and poverty. It is important, she feels, not to alienate people with overly graphic scenes.

“Early on, from the first body of work I did in Iran, I learned that people connect with familiar moments. A mother and daughter hugging … these ordinary events are what really bridge the gap”.

Hayeri explains that hopes were lifted with the American invasion in 2001, and the strong words of then-US first lady Laura Bush, who proclaimed that women’s rights would be “at last recognised”.

For a while, women and girls were able to participate in society in relative freedom. But true emancipation has never emerged.

“After Kabul and Afghanistan fell into the hands of the Taliban, a lot of women left, a lot who had benefited from 20 years of progress, with rights to education and work. Those who have stayed really and truly feel abandoned by the international community,” she explains.

Extreme poverty

Although Taliban leaders have publicly promised a more tolerant and open brand of rule compared with their first stint in power, from 1996-2001, the proof is yet to be seen.

“Any future Afghan government must adhere to Afghanistan’s international obligations,” the G7 leaders said at the end of August, insisting on human rights, particularly for women and ethnic minorities.

In the face of inaction, international aid has been cut.

More than half the population, or around 25 million people, are now living in poverty, according to the United Nations.

While overall violence has significantly declined across Afghanistan since last year, there have been regular bomb attacks in Kabul and other cities, particularly against education centres.

Kiana Hayeri's exhibition "Promises written on the ice, left in the sun" is open to the public in Bayeux, until 30 October 2022.