Afghan women, holding placards, gather to demand the protection of Afghan women's rights in front of the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 17, 2021.
Afghan women, holding placards, gather to demand the protection of Afghan women's rights in front of the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 17, 2021.
Sayed Khodaiberdi Sadat/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
  • Several female Afghan journalists are continuing to report following the Taliban takeover.
  • Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid declined to say whether female journalists could continue to work.
  • Women in media in Afghanistan are afraid for their safety as the Taliban have taken over power.
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

Female journalists in Afghanistan are continuing to report both from TV studios and from the streets of Kabul as their careers and personal safety remain uncertain amid the Taliban takeover.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Tuesday spoke at the militant group's first press conference since taking control of Afghanistan. The Taliban is "committed to the rights of women under the system of Sharia law," Mujahid said, adding that women can work and study "within our frameworks."

However, when Charlotte Bellis, a reporter with Al Jazeera, asked if women journalists can work as they have in the past, Mujahid said that's for "the next government" to decide.

Images emerged on social media this week of female journalists from several Afghan outlets, including TOLO News, Ariana TV, and Etilaatroz, reporting on the situation in Kabul and even interviewing a member of the Taliban.

Hasiba Attakpal, a reporter at TOLO News, was shown reporting from the streets of Afghanistan, while women were also shown taking part in a morning meeting alongside male journalists in the TOLO News office.

Sakina Amiri, a reporter at the Afghan daily Etilaatroz, was photographed interviewing members of the Taliban.

Meanwhile, Nasrin Shirzad from Ariana TV continued her usual role anchoring a current affairs program.

Saad Mohseni, the director of the parent company of TOLO News, tweeted out photos of both Attakpal and Zahra Rahimi doing their jobs despite the looming uncertainty.

MOBYGroup, a Dubai-based media company, established TOLO in 2010 as Afghanistan's first 24-hour news channel. Mohseni noted that such interviews likely wouldn't have been able to take place 20 years ago, the last time the Taliban was in power.

At the same time, many women working in journalism in Afghanistan remain worried for their safety. One woman told The Guardian that "death threatens us at every moment."

PBS news correspondent Jane Ferguson wrote on Twitter that the presence of women on TV was a "test" for the Taliban. But, she asked, "Will this be tolerated long term?"

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