Frud Bezhan

Iran's President Takes New York By Storm, One Last Time

Mahmud Ahmadinejad is back in New York, the setting for a number of his more infamous rants in recent years. And while this is expected to be his last visit as Iran's president, he has made clear he has no intention of leaving quietly.

Afghans Rally Against Public Lashings Of Teenagers

) Hundreds of Afghans have poured through the streets of Kabul in protest of the brutal flogging of two teenage girls accused of having premarital relationships. Demonstrators have called on the government to tackle what they say are extrajudicial punishments handed down by shadow religious courts.

Afghan School Prepares Blind For A Brighter Future

The Kabul Blind School, dubbed the only one of its kind in Afghanistan, has given more than 100 sightless children a rare chance to receive a basic education. By teaching many students new skills, the school aims to prepare them to support themselves upon graduation.

The Deadly Consequences Of Cultural Insensitivity In Afghanistan

In the past year, there has been an alarming spike in the number of Afghan soldiers opening fire on and killing their Western counterparts. Aware that many of the attacks are due to simple misunderstandings, the Afghan government has taken steps to give its security forces a lesson in cultural awareness.

Afghan NGO Inspires Unlikely Reconciliation

A Kabul shelter for handicapped veterans has become an unlikely sponsor of peace and tolerance by bringing together former rivals with common misfortunes.

Afghans Terrorized By Border Shelling As Blame Game Goes On

For months, villages in remote northeastern Afghanistan have felt the brunt of crossborder shelling from Pakistani territory. And as Kabul and Islamabad play the blame game, it appears more victims will be added to the dozens killed and thousands displaced before the attacks are stopped.

Filtered News Is Good News During Tehran Summit

Iran's authorities have taken all possible measures to ensure this week's Nonaligned Movement summit runs smoothly. Even Iran's media outlets have been flagged, with a top-secret directive instructing them on what they should and should not cover.

Afghan Villagers Hit Back Against Taliban

Weary of the Taliban’s draconian rule and backward policies, a band of Afghan villagers have mounted an unlikely rebellion against the militants -- and seemingly won. With popular discontent with the Taliban and its tactics growing, the local uprising has spread and could gain a footing in disgruntled communities across Afghanistan.

The Afghan Government's Crisis Of (No) Confidence

In an unexpected move, Afghanistan's parliament has voted no confidence in the country's two top security officials. The move threatens to cause upheaval at a time when Afghan forces are being groomed to take over security.

'There Are No Buyers' -- Kabul's Housing Boom Goes Bust Amid Uncertainty

Although the pullout of foreign forces is some two years away, many Afghans are already feeling its effects. Kabul's once-booming high-end real-estate market, which thrived under foreign occupation, is now falling sharply amid uncertainty over the future.

Corruption A Cost Of Life For Ordinary Afghans

The heat is scorching, and the hours-long wait arduous, but it is a price worth paying for the long line of angry customers standing outside the headquarters of Afghanistan's national power company.

Former Afghan Warlords Dispute Leaked Report Linking Them To Atrocities

An unpublished report, which reveals gruesome details of atrocities committed during three decades of war in Afghanistan, is being disputed by many of the country’s former warlords, some of whom are named as perpetrators of human rights abuses.

Afghan Women's Shelters Face Uncertain Future

Exclusive Internet Cafe Connects Afghan Women To The World

Dozens of headscarf-wearing girls flock each day through the discreetly marked doors of Kabul's Sahar Gul Cafe, Afghanistan's first all-female Internet cafe.

Afghans Lift Lid On Sports Under The Taliban

Afghanistan's national sports stadium was an infamous symbol of the Taliban's brutality. But contrary to the idea that only brutalities played out on the stadium grounds, former athletes say soccer and some other sports were thriving the whole time.

Alleged Taliban Execution Shatters Image Of 'Taliban-Free' Province

Parwan Governor Abdul Basir Salangi tries to explain how he could have recently described his province as the "backbone of security" in Afghanistan, in the face of its current notoriety as the site of a disturbing extrajudicial execution for adultery.

iPhones 'Steal' Real-Life Moments In Afghan Capital

Afghans have added a new medium to their artistic repertoire, turning to the iPhone to capture "Stolen Moments" of everyday life. RFE/RL correspondent Frud Bezhan reports from Kabul on a new photo exhibit that just opened in the capital.

Worry Replaces Hope In Race To Restore Ancient Afghan City

The Afghan government and foreign donors have provided significant funding to restore the ancient city of Ghazni, which will take up the mantle as an Islamic Capital of Culture in 2013. But less than a year before the monthlong cultural festivities that go with the honor are due to begin, negligence and insecurity are threatening to doom the project.

Rape Case Tests Afghan Justice

A teenage Afghan girl's allegation that local police kidnapped and raped her in northern Konduz Province has prompted the Afghan president to personally intervene. But whether his order that the police unit be disarmed is enough to guarantee her safety and ensure justice is an open question in a region where the central government holds little sway.

Khomeini Commemorations Met With Resistance By Afghan Youth

Days before the 23rd anniversary of the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, efforts to honor the revolutionary leader are being met with resistance in Afghanistan.