Afghan lawyer Benafsha Yaqoobi has been chosen as one of the winners of the U.S. State Department's 2024 International Women of Courage Award.
Members of Afghanistan's Sikh and Hindu communities say the Taliban, a militant Islamist group, has imposed restrictions on their appearances and prevented them from marking religious holidays in public. Many Afghan Sikhs and Hindus have fled the country in recent years following targeted attacks.
Authorities in Iran's southwestern province of Fars banned retail stores and grocery shops from employing foreigners as salespeople and shop assistants on June 5. The decision has adversely affected Iran's large community of Afghan refugees and migrants.
Afghan migrants in Iran are finding it difficult to carry out the most routine transactions because they cannot obtain the bank cards they need to access mobile phone services, subway tickets, and even their daily bread.
The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan upended the lives of millions of people, especially women and girls whose right to education and work has been severely curtailed. On International Women’s Day, RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi spoke to several women about how their lives have been radically altered.
Generations of Afghans have fled to Ukraine in recent decades to seek refuge from conflict. But now these students, immigrants, and refugees are trying to leave Ukraine due to the war in which Russia is using lethal weapons to attack Kyiv and other big cities.
When an Afghan villager saved an American soldier from the Taliban, it was a story fit for the silver screen. But there is no Hollywood ending for Mohammad Gulab in his quest for asylum in the United States.
!["In the subway, you need to pay with a bank card. They don't accept cash," an Afghan said.. "Some [Iranians] buy tickets for us [in exchange for cash], but others don't."](https://gdb.rferl.org/d3d69280-6188-422c-bb80-06aa4ca94f3a_cx0_cy6_cw0_w100_r1.jpg)
!["In the subway, you need to pay with a bank card. They don't accept cash," an Afghan said.. "Some [Iranians] buy tickets for us [in exchange for cash], but others don't."](https://gdb.rferl.org/d3d69280-6188-422c-bb80-06aa4ca94f3a_cx0_cy6_cw0_w66_r1.jpg)
