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Frud Bezhan

Frud Bezhan is the senior regional editor for the Near East and Central Asia at RFE/RL. Previously, he was a correspondent and reported from Afghanistan, Turkey, and Kosovo. Prior to joining RFE/RL in 2012, he worked as a freelance journalist in Afghanistan and contributed to several Australian newspapers.

BezhanF@rferl.org

Also by Frud Bezhan

October 27, 2023
The Azadi Briefing: Afghan Taliban Bans Fighters From Waging 'Jihad' In Pakistan

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. I'm Frud Bezhan, regional desk editor for Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
October 26, 2023
Iranians Show Little Support For Palestinian Cause Amid Gaza Conflict

Iran has positioned itself as the leader of the Palestinian cause in the Muslim world. But Iranians have shown little support for the Palestinian struggle for statehood and have criticized the authorities for backing militant groups fighting Israel.
October 13, 2023
The Azadi Briefing: Deadly Earthquakes Heap More Misery On Afghanistan

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. I'm Frud Bezhan, regional desk editor for Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
October 06, 2023
The Azadi Briefing: Afghans Fear Another Brutal Winter As Hunger Crisis Worsens

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. I'm Frud Bezhan, regional desk editor for Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
October 04, 2023
Iranian Girl's Hospitalization After Subway Incident Draws Parallels With Mahsa Amini's Case

A 16-year-old Iranian schoolgirl is in a coma after an incident in the Tehran metro. Activists and a human rights group say Armita Garavand was assaulted by the morality police for not wearing the mandatory hijab. Her case has drawn parallels with the Mahsa Amini case.
August 14, 2023
Draconian Decrees: The Taliban's Restrictions In Afghanistan

Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban has imposed restrictions on every aspect of Afghans’ lives. Those who violate the hard-line Islamists' morality laws can be subject to public floggings, jail, or even death.
August 04, 2023
The Azadi Briefing: Taliban Shuts Down Offices Of Prominent Iranian Charity Amid Tensions With Tehran

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. I'm Frud Bezhan, regional desk editor for Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
July 21, 2023
The Azadi Briefing: The Taliban's War On Music

Also: An Afghan journalist disappears
June 30, 2023
The Azadi Briefing: Violence 'Widespread' In Afghanistan, Despite Conflict Subsiding

The Taliban has claimed that it has restored law and order in Afghanistan. But “violence is still widespread throughout the country,” according to an international think tank.
May 20, 2023
Crystal Meth Addiction 'Rapidly Spreading' In Pakistan

For years, cannabis and heroin were the main drugs of choice in Pakistan. Now, an increasing number of Pakistanis are hooked on crystal methamphetamine, which is readily available and relatively cheap. Health professionals have warned that the country is in the midst of a meth epidemic.
March 31, 2023
The Azadi Briefing: Fears Of A Famine Mount In Afghanistan

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. I'm Frud Bezhan, regional desk editor for Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
December 26, 2022
More Repressive Measures In Pipeline As Taliban Reverts To 'Old Practices' In Afghanistan

Observers say there are more repressive measures in the pipeline as the Taliban reverts to the brutal policies of its first stint in power. In recent weeks, the militant group has reintroduced corporal punishments and intensified its assault on women's rights.
December 21, 2022
The Farda Briefing: More Iranians Move Their Protests To Rooftops Amid State Crackdown

Iranians move their protests to rooftops and windows, Iran’s national currency hits a new low against the U.S. dollar, and a rights group revealed that an Iranian protester who was tortured in custody died in hospital.
April 20, 2022
The Farda Briefing: Iran, U.S. Harden Positions In Nuclear Talks

For the past year, Iran and the United States have been locked in indirect talks to restore the 2015 nuclear accord. A draft deal to revive the agreement is already on the table, but an unrelated issue has complicated matters.
September 26, 2021
Afghan Women's Shelters Vanishing Under Taliban Rule

Many women's shelters in Afghanistan have shut down since the Taliban seized power in August. Activists say the closure of the shelters cuts off the only protection for victims of domestic abuse in the deeply conservative and patriarchal country.
September 10, 2021
Afghan Women At Forefront Of Nonviolent Resistance To Taliban

Women have been the driving force behind street protests in Kabul and other major cities since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan. The women are demanding equal rights even as they face threats and violence at the hands of armed Taliban fighters.
September 08, 2021
Taliban’s 'Mullahcratic' Government: Militants Fail To Form Inclusive Administration

The Taliban promised to form an “inclusive Islamic government” after regaining power in Afghanistan. But the militants have announced a new regime made up entirely of senior Taliban members, with no women or technocrats and just a few non-Pashtuns.
September 07, 2021
Key Figures In The Taliban's New Theocratic Government

The Taliban has announced a new Afghan government some three weeks after seizing control of the country from the internationally recognized government of former President Ashraf Ghani. We look at the key figures in the still-unrecognized administration.
September 06, 2021
Taliban Imposes New Dress Code, Segregation Of Women At Afghan Universities

The Taliban has announced a new dress code for women who attend universities in Afghanistan that forces them to completely cover their bodies in black. The militant group also said classes will be segregated by gender and that female teachers can only teach women.
September 02, 2021
'We Don't Have Any Money': Taliban Takeover Plunges Afghanistan Into Economic Turmoil

The Taliban's takeover has thrown Afghanistan's economy into chaos. Since the militant group's capture of Kabul on August 15, many Afghans are grappling with soaring food prices and cash shortages.

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