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A source in Afghanistan recently asked me to delete the voice notes they’d sent me for a story, fearing for their safety. “I’m just happy I spoke up,” they said. “It’s dangerous, but the truth must be told.” I understand both the fear and the defiance of it.
I was a news producer in Afghanistan for five years before fleeing the country when the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Today, on the anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, many journalists are either in prison or, like me, in exile.
I came to Canada in 2022, then joined The Walrus for a year-long fellowship supported by Journalists for Human Rights. In 2024, I was named a JHR contributing writer. Over the past two years, my colleagues and I have highlighted the voices of people living under Taliban rule: activists who stood up to the authorities; mothers who turned their homes into schools; and children who learned about freedom by growing up without it. Many of our sources spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, knowing the dangers they faced if their identities were exposed. In Afghanistan, one wrong social media post can lead to jail—even as the Taliban use online platforms for their gain.
For my latest piece, which is also available in Persian, I spoke with journalists in exile and those experiencing censorship in Afghanistan. Despite immense challenges, they’re still trying to work. Because we all carry one hope—the hope of a free Afghanistan. As long as one pen still writes, one voice still speaks, and one journalist still pursues the truth, the fight for press freedom continues. |
