AFPRO Research Project

Our website is online now! Click on the link to find our project description and information on our team, events, data and publications. Stay up to date on our project in German, English and Dari!

German: afprod.de
English: afprod.de/homepage-en/
Dari: afprod.de/homepage-da/

Voices of resistance: Afghan women’s lived experiences under the Taliban’s ban on education This study was conducted in the context of the Taliban’s 2022 ban on women’s education after their return to power in Kabul in 2021, shaped by the US–Taliban Doha Agreement. Drawing primarily on in...

Interesting research article on Afghan female students affected by the Taliban’s post-2021 education ban!

“Despite the Taliban’s oppressive ban on education, [they] continue to find ways to learn and empower themselves.”

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Check out this call for papers on polarisation - deadline tomorrow!

Take a look at what we have been up to in 2025 and what is coming next in 2026!

Stay tuned for our announcements about conferences and events on our social media channels!

Afghans who have been forcefully returned to Afghanistan face multiple challenges including finding shelter and employment in a difficult economic situation and a country severely affected by climate change.

Read this report by BICC to find out more:

bicc.de/Publications...

Taliban fires on protest against Chinese-funded gold mine Residents say at least three killed and 16 others wounded during clashes

This @telegraph.co.uk article reports that Taliban soldiers fired at the protesters. It also provides more background on gold mining activities and conflicts in Afghanistan:

www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2...

Protests against gold mining operations in the northeast of Afghanistan have led to clashes between the protesters and the mining company, resulting in the death of three protesters and one employee.

kabulnow.com/2026/01/prot...

‘That video saved our lives’: how women are defying the Taliban’s brutal crackdown on protest The activist Zarmina Paryani speaks from exile in Germany about how Afghanistan has tried to silence the voices of women and girls since the 2021 takeover

Afghan women continue to protest against the Taliban‘s restrictions of their rights as this @theguardian.com report highlights:

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Congrats!

In response to the killing of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., Afghans in the US have attempted to distance themselves from the alleged killer, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, by staging protests.

www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4l6...

Konfliktforscher: Blockaden in Gießen „sehr geordnet“

Read @simonteune.bsky.social 's analysis of last weekend's protests in Gießen against the foundation of the far-right AfD's new youth organisation:

www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/poli...

📢 Join us for the 3rd Center Colloquium!

Featured Talks:
Kristine Andra Avram (Center for Conflict Studies, Marburg University)
Nadine Benedix @nadibenedix.bsky.social (Political Sciences, Technical University of Darmstadt)

🗓️ Mon, 8 Dec 2025, 12–2 pm
More info: uni-marburg.de/0j1D6X

Check out this new handbook from our colleagues @postcolh.bsky.social !

Wer demonstriert in Deutschland für Palästina? Eine neue Studie von @protestinstitut.bsky.social bietet Daten zu Solidaritätsprotesten in Deutschland. Mitbeteiligte Forschende waren u. a. @felixanderl.bsky.social & @teraqerat.bsky.social:
Zusammen mit @interactfu.bsky.social & @dezim-institut.de.

Sources:
www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
rukhshana.com/en/afghan-wo...
www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
ishr.ch/campaigns/ac...

Afghan women continue to resist Taliban restrictions, for example, in international organizations. Check out these recent examples.

Photo: Suliman Sallehi

Flights in Afghanistan grounded after internet shutdown The Taliban have yet to give an official reason for the shutdown, but said it would last indefinitely.

Yesterday, the Taliban cut off the internet in Afghanistan. For now, mobile internet & Starlink are functioning, but the impact on flight operations, banking, education & health services is already severe and causing dismay among many Afghans.

#contentiousky

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Taliban orders ban on internet in northern Afghanistan ‘to prevent immoral activities’ | CNN The Taliban administration on Wednesday announced an internet ban across a swathe of northern Afghanistan, “to prevent immoral activities,” provincial government statements said.

For the first time since taking over Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have ordered an internet ban in parts of the country. The ban is justified with preventing 'immoral activities' such as pornography.

#afghanistan

edition.cnn.com/2025/09/17/m...

Earthquake in Afghanistan Leaves More Than 800 Dead

A devastating earthquake has killed more than 800 people in Afghanistan, making the country’s already dire humanitarian situation even worse.

Governments should prioritize sending humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to help alleviate the crisis.

From 12-16 July 2025 our team attended the 28th World Congress of Political Science @ipsa.org in Seoul and presented our project and research there. Thank you for the comments and interesting discussions!

#contentiousky
#afghanistan

This morning, we presented our project @ipsa.org in Seoul. Thank you for attending!

Our team is at @ipsa.org conference in Seoul this week and presenting on protests during insurgencies, Afghan youth and the success and failure of autocratization

#contentiousky
#afghanistan

In Afghanistan, a woman has been protesting against the Taliban due to job loss. To Taliban members threatening to shoot her she said: "Shoot! A bullet is better than dying of hunger, a bullet is better than begging!"

x.com/QaderiHomeir...

The Taliban government has issued a new policy on talk shows requiring prior approval of topics and guests.

x.com/LNajafizada/...

ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders for persecuting women and girls The Taliban's supreme leader and chief justice are accused by the Hague-based judges of gender persecution.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Taliban leaders for their treatment of women and girls.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Iranian and Afghan activists are protesting the Iranian government‘s treatment of Afghan migrants since start of the war with Israel in an open letter. In the past week, Iran has increasingly arrested Afghans and ordered them to leave the country.

#contentiousky

iranwire.com/en/news/1429...

Russland erkennt Taliban-Regierung in Kabul an: Botschafter akkreditiert Russland hat als erstes Land die Taliban-Regierung in Afghanistan anerkannt und die Akkreditierung eines neuen Botschafters akzeptiert.

Russia has officially recognised the Afghan Taliban government. No other state has done so before.

www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/russ...

Ich habe für die @zeit.de ein paar Gedanken aufgeschrieben. Die militärischen und sicherheitspolitischen Auswirkungen des Krieges muss man separat von den innenpolitischen Konsequenzen für den Iran bewerten - denn diese sind fatal.